Justin Blowers
Staff Writer
A new parking lot is anticipated to be completed around October 2017, according to Herbert Reeves, dean of student services.
The lot will be located in the wooded ravine between the track and Trojan Arena across from the Trojan Center on Luther Drive. Reeves said the current plan is for the new lot to be reserved for commuters.
Reeves said that there is currently no estimate on when the lot will be started since the environmental study of that area is still incomplete.
“As soon as we know the environmental study is cleared, then we’re going to push forward with it,” Reeves said.
The new lot will also impact the groundbreaking of the new Recreational Center.
“We do not plan on breaking ground on the Rec Center until around October when this parking lot is finished,” Reeves said.
Since the start of construction for the new Rec Center will close down the parking lot near Sartain Hall, Reeves said that this new parking lot is the answer to the lost parking spaces. The new lot will hold about 500 spaces.
“There will be a net gain of about 275 spaces,” Reeves said.
If the completion of the new lot gets pushed back, Reeves said, “it is a possibility” that the start of the new Rec Center will be pushed back as well.
SGA President Olivia Melton, a senior mathematics and economics major from Orange Beach, said that the $100 students are paying for the new Rec Center is for preconstruction costs.
“They (Troy University) already had to take the bond out, and so they have to pay for it,” Melton said. “Technically we’re already paying for the Rec Center by all the architecture designs and consultings.”
Sydney Taylor, a sophomore biomedical sciences major from Seattle, said she thinks it is a good idea to wait to start the Rec Center until the new parking lot is completed.
“I think that’s a good idea,” said Taylor. “Parking is needed more.”
D’Nasa Mitchell, a sophomore psychology major from Dothan, said she would prefer that the new parking lot be completed before the Rec Center construction begins.
“I would rather they wait until the parking is done,” Mitchell said.
According to Reeves, there are currently no plans for a parking deck whatsoever.
Reeves also said the university is planning to launch an information campaign in March of this year, which will include information about the TransLoc OnDemand service and tentative start and end dates for projects.
The information campaign will provide students with up-to-date information on how the new parking lot will affect future parking.
