Tuesday, January 18, 2000
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 7
7
Right: The new parking garage is scheduled to be completed by July 31. It will have a total of 818 parking spaces. Photo by Christina Neff/KANSAN
Below: Parking spaces in lot 53 on Mississippi Street are being used as a holding area for trucks and beams that have been used in the construction of the new parking garage.
The lot will be closed until March 1. Photo by Tara Kraus/KANSAN
Garage construction blocks lot
Structure set to be finished by next July
By Sara Shepherd
writer @kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Instead of open parking spaces, student commuters will find a convoy of semi trailers along the west side of Mississippi Street when they return to campus today.
Lot 53, Mississippi Street's angle parking between 11th Avenue and the Spencer Museum of Art, will remain closed until March 1 because of construction of the new parking garage next to the Kansas Union.
Construction workers began this
stage during the last week of the fall semester, said Roger Harmon, construction manager at Design and Construction Management.
Giant concrete beams, spanning about two car lengths each, are being brought to the site by trucks, then lifted onto the garage structure by crane. The spaces along Mississippi Street are being used as a holding area for the trucks and beams.
"It's like a huge Lincoln Log set," Harmon said. "Everything kind of stacks on top of each other."
The project has made visible progress and has stayed on schedule since finals week last fall.
"It's going up really fast," said Donna Hultine, assistant director for the parking department. "I think they're very much on schedule. It seems to be going really smoothly."
helped keep construction on track.
"Everything seems to be fitting up really well." Harmon said.
By March, after all the concrete beams are in place, Harmon said the garage's exterior would appear to be finished. However, finishing touches such as elevators, doors,
windows and landscaping will require several more months of work to complete.
Hultine said the five-level parking garage would have a total of 818 parking spaces, including 500 metered spaces and 318 spots divided between staff and students.
The metered spaces will be numbered and regulated by one computerized station. The proposed parking fee for those spaces is $1 per hour, part of which will be used to pay back building costs.
Construction on the $10 million project, contracted by The Law Co., Inc., of Wichita, started last June and is scheduled to be completed by July 31. Harmon said.
Hultine offered advice to drivers who wanted to avoid any traffic disruptions on Mississippi Street.
"If they don't want to get tangled up in it, they can just drive around," she said.
By John Audlehelm
Students ask for seats on city committees
By John Audlehelm writer@kansan.com
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
Michael Henry, community affairs director for Student Senate, doesn't think students have enough sav in city government.
And he wants that to change
And he wants that to change
On Jan. 11, Henry asked the Lawrence City Commission to reserve seats on the 12 city advisory boards for students. He said his proposal was part of service learning, which would the community service to academics. Students would benefit by learning about city government, and the city would benefit from the students' added expertise.
"The present system is not set up to look for a younger viewpoint, or even a student or University viewpoint." Henry said.
For example, a student studying urban planning or civil engineering could serve on the Lawrence Bicycle Advisory Committee. he said.
Commissioners said they supported student involvement, but did not want to reserve seats on boards that met 12 months out of the year and whose members were appointed for three-year terms.
"it's going to be difficult to accomplish." Mayor Erv Hodges said. "However, we need to find a way to get students involved."
He said students would not be appointed for three-year terms, but they would have to attend all 12 meetings in the year.
"It would require a person to be a full-time resident of Lawrence," Hodges said.
But Hodges said his biggest objection was reserving seats specifically for students.
"Ordinarily, appointments are made based on the overall value of the individual in the city at large rather than a particular group or area in the city." Hodges said.
City Manager Mike Wildgen said any citizen could write letters to the mayor and commissioners requesting an appointment, and the city also offered students internships and jobs.
"If you're a really dedicated, interested citizen, whether you're a student or not, there are ways to
Proposed student seats on city advisory boards
Michael Henry, community affairs director for Student Senate, asked the City Commission to reserve seat for students on these city advisory boards. All but two of the proposes seats would be voting positions.
Board Members Votes
Arts 11 yes
Bicycle Advisory 7 yes
Human Relations 9 yes
Metro Planning 10 no
Parks & Recreation Advisory 5 yes
Recycling and Resource 10 yes
Special Alcohol Fund Advisory 7 yes
Hospital 9 no
Economic Development 15 yes
Historic Resources 7 yes
Public Transportation Advisory 7 yes
Maggie Curry / KANSAN
become involved in city government," he said.
Henry said that interested students would have to commit to go to 12 meetings a year.
"I don't think that's a problem," he said. "We have students who live here year-round."
Holly Krebs, transportation coordinator for KU on Wheels, said she supported the idea and would like to serve on the newly formed Public Transportation Advisory Committee.
"I believe that students truly are a part of the community," she said. "Students also have different perspectives and needs that are not represented in the current system."
Hodges said he expected to appoint Krebs, or whoever was in her position, to a one-year term on the public transportation committee, which would deal with the city's new bus system expected to start in May or June.
Hodges said the commission had asked Henry to gather more information to see how other universities had achieved student involvement in local government.
Henry said he thought the commission wanted to work with students.
"I think the city commission definietly left the door open for us to work together," he said
Some Textbook Retailers Giveth
And Some Taketh Away
Only the KU Bookstores returns its revenue to KU.
It's true. All other retailers serving KU send profits to Wall Street shareholders or private investors. All retailers, that is, except the KU Bookstores in the Unions. Granted, we're not a huge money-making machine. But we do serve this campus for
the sole good of the students and the University. advertisement simply does not make sense. So remember:
And we're the only textbook retailer that can say that. Keep your money on your campus.
Kansas and Burye Unions • 864-4640
In fact, purchasing on-campus from the KU Bookstores helps keep student fee increases down and tuition down, while providing funds for campus activities and organizations. Buying from online vendors that want to make the campus one big
Keep It on Campus.
KU Bookstores, Kansas and Burge Unions. 864-4640 www.jayhawks.com Open until 7 p.m. this Tuesday-Thursday.