Multiple campus parking lots will be closed due to ongoing construction projects, college officials said.
President Donald Christian said parking areas near Wooster Science Building and the Plattekill lot will be fenced off in preparation for construction of the new science building and summer work on the Mohonk Walk around mid-March.
All engineering assessments for every construction project indicate the college has enough available parking, Christian said. However, some students said they are discouraged about the current offerings.
Andrew Ricci, a second-year theatre arts major, said other construction projects — like work done near Crispell Hall — have made parking on campus difficult.
“I don’t like the current parking situation at all,” he said. “A lot of the time I have to park my car in the Bouton lot which is far from my dorm. I live in Capen.”
Chief of Staff Shelly Wright said students and faculty should realize there are enough spaces to park, but they may not be as close to buildings as drivers would like.
“It’s less about the availability of parking in general, but more about the availability of approximate parking,” she said.
Facilities Management officials agreed, saying parking will also be expanded in other areas in spite of construction causing closure in others.
John Shupe, assistant vice president of Facilities Management, said the facilities plan will expand parking by 140 on the north side of Lot 28 on the north side of Manhiem Boulevard. This project will begin in the summer and is expected to be completed by the start of the fall semester, Christian said.
The eventual elimination of tennis courts behind Lenape Hall will allow for the additional 200 spots, Shupe said.
Shupe said students should park in the first spot they find rather than using time to search for a “better spot.”
“Ultimately it would give you enough time because the time you saved searching could go toward walking to class,” he said.
Officials said the college’s parking committee will continue to evaluate campus concerns. Christian said one option being explored would involve issuing permits for employees who work in Haggerty Administration Building (HAB) and the Student Union (SU) to park across the street in Lot 28 to free up spots at the Haggerty Administration lot.
Communication regarding parking shifts will be ongoing, officials said.