Wednesday, October 8, 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 5
KU strides on in search for wide-open spaces
New parking garage lots to ease shortage
By Tim Harrington tharrington@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Concrete steps have been taken to increase parking on campus. One was the hiring of an architect; the other was a proposal to build huge concrete steps.
An architect has been chosen for the construction of a new $2 million parking garage between Adams Alumni Center, 1266 Oread Ave., and the Ecumenical Christian Ministries building, 1204 Oread Ave.
The 1,000- to 1,100-space multilevel garage is scheduled to be completed by 1999 or 2000, said Don Kearns, parking department director.
At parking-depleted Jayhawker Towers, tentative plans to build new parking areas have been proposed. The project does not yet have a time frame or estimated price tag.
A proposal to tear down the condemned parking garage on the west side of the towers and raise three single-level lots in its place is being considered by Design and Construction Management.
The condemned garage acts as a retaining wall and keeps 15th Street and Engel Road in place.
"There's a lot of money going out. That's the reason for the increased rates. We may have to look at some kinds of cost saving measures or raise the rates again."
Don
Don Kearns
parking department director
The garage doesn't have the structural integrity to hold cars and was condemned.
A stronger structure must be built in its place.
The new idea is to build three separate parking lots like a giant three-step staircase with the highest "step" closest to Engel Road.
Each step would then have its own exit onto Irving Hill Road.
"We wanted to get away from the parking-garage concept but still have as many spaces as possible, Kearns said.
Kearns said that other benefits of this plan would be decreased traffic and increased safety on 15th Street because of lot exits to Irving Hill Road.
Although the Towers project still is being planned, parking
board members already are concerned with finding money.
Recent increases in permit prices and fines to fund these projects were not popular.
Although the only benefit students have seen from ballooning permit costs has been extended parking on Daisy Hill, James LaPoint, parking board chair, said some of those revenues already had been put to work.
Preconstruction work, such as drafting the proposed structure, demands money. LaPoint said the work was one of the reasons for increased permit prices.
"What I don't think was communicated to the public was that some costs are already being born out this project," he said.
Those costs and others from previous parking projects like Daisy Hill continue to mount at the parking department.
Financially self-supported through permit sales and fines, the parking department also has to contend with other liabilities. One example is a $3 per campus parking space tax by the city for the city's sewer system.
That adds up to more than $3,000 per month.
"There's a lot of money going out," Kearns said. "That's the reason for the increased rates. We may have to look at some kinds of cost-saving measures or raise the rates again."
928 Mass.
Downtown
Regents Court 19th & Mass •749-0445
MASTERCRAFT
Sundance 7th & Florida • 841-5255
Tanglewood 10th & Arkansas·749-2415
Hanover Place 14th & Mass·841-1212
Campus Place 12th & Louisiana·841-1429
Orchard Corners 15th & Kasold • 749-4226
tommy girl
a declaration of independence.
tommy girl. The new american fragrance for women created by Tommy Hilfiger. tommy girl is a spirited, refreshing and energetic fragrance. It is designed for the American woman; smart, sexy, open and real.
Cologne Spray 1.7 fl. oz. ... $32.00
Cologne Spray 3.4 fl. oz. ... $47.00
Energizing Body Wash 6.7 fl. oz. ... $18.00
Smoothing Bosy Lotion 6.7 fl. oz. ... $20.00
Sparkling Body Mist 6.7 fl. oz. ... $32.00
9th & Massachusetts