Section A·Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, September 9, 1999
Student parking curbed at Blake
By Michael Terry
Kansan staff writer
writer@kansan.com
Faculty and staff who teach in Blake Hall are relieved that the parking situation at Lot 15 behind the building has been rectified in their favor.
Don Kearns, parking services director, decided Tuesday to rescind the 12 parking spaces allocated for Watkins Scholarship Hall and Miller Scholarship Hall residents.
Elaine Sharp, professor of political science and urban politics, said parking for faculty and staff at Blake had become problematic since residents of Watkins and Miller scholarship halls had been able to park at the Blake lot.
"I knew colleagues that would drive to the University to teach a class and then not be able to find a place to park," she said. "Some of
the faculty just wound up having to return home due to the lack of parking."
Watkins and Miller hall residents were notified Tuesday in a meeting with the University of Kansas Department of Student Housing that the Blake Hall parking permits would have to be returned. Residents paid $150 for the permits.
"The money the residents of both halls paid will be refunded, and they will be given the option to buy Alumni Place parking passes." Kearns said.
Kearns said he had received complaints about the parking overflow problem from faculty members and from the chair of the department of public administration. He said he also received an e-mail from the Office of the Provost.
Donna Hultine, assistant director of parking services, said construction at Blake might be contributing
to the parking problem.
Students living at Miller Scholarship Hall last semester kept a journal of how many parking spaces were empty in the loft behind Blake every day. After students presented that information to the parking department, the department agreed that giving the 12 spaces to the scholarship halls was a good idea.
"We would like to work out a compromise with the parking department where we'll give up our parking spaces until the construction is completed," she said. "I think once the construction is completed there will be spaces for us to park again."
Nicole Kirby, Lansing senior and Watkins proctor, said the extra parking spots at Alumni Place did not solve the parking problem at the scholarship halls.
— Edited by Chris Hutchison
By Jessie Meyer Special to the Kansan
J. Crew latest to leave Riverfront Plaza
The J. Crew outlet store in the Riverfront Shopping Plaza will close its doors Sept. 26, a move brought on by increased mall vacancies during the past few months.
Elli Randell, the store's manager,
said that the store's lease was up this fall and the managers decided not to renew the lease because of increased vacancies in the mall.
The Riverfront Plaza's empty halls have had too much of a negative impact on the business and the sales have dropped off considerably, said Leslie Potter, an assistant manager.
"The factory doesn't get a lot of business, and we haven't been making our goals." Potter said.
Despite the possibility of additional stores opening in the mall, Randell said there still wouldn't be enough to keep J. Crew there.
After the doors close, J. Crew employees will have three days to pack up the remaining merchandise and vacate the store.
"We'll be out of here on Sept. 29." Potter said.
The main focus for the store now is to sell as much of the remaining merchandise as it can. For the next three weeks, everything in the store will be marked down by at least 30 percent and by as much as 75 percent.
"Everything will stay on sale for at least 30 percent," Randell said. "We may cut the prices even more toward the end."
Efforts are being made to bring more traffic into the mall because of the increased number of fleeing stores.
Don Webb, manager of London Fog, said, "We have been told that there are people coming, and there will be stores added to the mall, but we have not been told specifics
because nobody really knows for sure at this point."
David Longhurst, general manager of the Riverfront Plaza, said the owners were trying to make it easier for retailers to sign leases with the mall to increase traffic.
"The objective is to make it more appealing for our customers," Longhurst said.
Effective Sept. 1, parking is free for all Riverfront Plaza customers in an attempt to make it more convenient for the shoppers, Webb said.
"Dynamics in the industry are changing." Longhurst said. "There's less of a need for outlet malls. You just don't see them as much anymore."
The lowest level of the mall has been converted to non-outlet retailers. But Longhurst said he was committed to maintaining the outlet style of shopping on the upper two levels.
Edited by Matt Gardner