The upcoming lotteries held by Parking and Card Services might not dangle promises of $295 million like last week’s Powerball, but some good parking spaces are up for grabs, or fate.
According to Ann Benson, manager of Parking and Card Services, this new school year brings with it several changes to Saint Louis University’s parking lot roster. The only parking lot to permanently close is the Fairfield lot behind O’Donnell Hall, which closed on Monday, Aug. 6.
One of the new parking lots on campus, the Scranton lot, is located behind the Academic Resources Center at 3840 Lindell Boulevard. The Scranton lot is a premium lot, meaning that the fee to park in it is $750 per year for faculty, staff and students. The lottery to determine assignment of the spaces was held yesterday, and parking will be available to those who won by Friday, Sept. 7.
The Salus Center is a new addition to the University, located on the South Campus, at the intersection of Grand Boulevard and Lafayette Avenue, and along with it comes five parking lots. The Boston lot will be a premium lot, so the cost is the same as the Scranton lot mentioned earlier. The lottery for the Boston lot will be held on Friday, Sept. 14. Any faculty, staff or student who are interested in claiming one of these spots may sign-up by sending an e-mail to [email protected] by noon on Sept. 14. All who enter the lottery will be notified of the outcome of the drawing by e-mail on Friday, Sept. 21. Parking in the Boston lot will be made available by Monday, Oct. 1.
The Spring Hill lot is the preferred parking option at the Salus Center. The fee for faculty and staff is $500 per year, and students pay $220 per semester. There are two general parking locations at the Salus Center, the Creighton lot and the Wheeling lot. The fees for these lots vary, but a listing can be found at Parking and Card Services in DuBourg Hall, room 33, or at www.slu.edu/services/parking.
A visitor parking lot will be available to “clinic patients, clients, prospective students and visitors of the various departments,” according to information sheets distributed by Parking and Card Services. Reciprocal parking is also available on the Frost campus in the nonreserved section of the Olive Compton garage, and in the visitor section of Laclede garage.
The Salus Center, formerly Compton Heights Hospital, will be home to several SLU departments including Dermatology, Optomology, Human Resources and Public Health. Public Health will also have classes at the Center.
There are mixed reactions to the addition of the Salus Center lots. Some are pleased with it and some are rather disappointed with what the University has spent acquiring with its time and money.
While the Salus Center may be a good addition to SLU’s campus as a whole, seniors Mary Kwapiszeski and Lisa Bausano, who are both at the South campus on a daily basis, agree that more parking options are needed at the other end of campus. “I have heard minimal complaints about parking at the South campus, but parking on the Frost campus is a problem that needs to be solved,” said Kwapiszeski.
