Completion of the Commons construction will result in the restoration of about 34 parking spots that have been out of use since fall 2012.

About 90 parking spots were lost when construction began, so after the 34 spots are back in use, the net loss will be approximately 55 parking spaces, said UNA Police Chief Bob Pastula. 

“We are not going to actually gain any parking spots or get all of the ones we lost to the construction back,” Pastula said. “We will actually be about 55 spots short of what we had before the construction began.”

The parking area affected by the construction will be repaved before the exact number of parking spaces back in use can be determined, Pastula said.  

“After the construction is done, we’ll have to wait until Lot H is repaved and painted before we can really be sure how many spaces will be there,” Pastula said. 

The construction is scheduled to be complete by Feb. 1, he said. 

Some students, like Keri Winchester, a junior, and senior Jason Smith, had different opinions regarding the loss of parking spaces.

“I definitely thought we would get more spots back than what we are getting,” Winchester said.  “I think that parking is way more important than a new commons building—the GUC is just fine and serving its purpose.”  

However, Smith said that he did not really have any certain expectations in mind. He thinks parking is going to be a campus issue regardless, he said. 

Students like Cody Herring, a senior, thought that having more dining options in the Commons would benefit the university by keeping students on campus more. 

“I think the loss of parking spaces is worth it for us to get the Commons Building because it will have stuff in it to keep people on campus more since they’ll have more options for places to eat and to hang out,” Herring said. 

Construction of the new science building has also affected parking on the other side of campus, Pastula said. 

“Once the new science building is done, we’ll get parking at Lot O back, too,” he said. 

Junior Molly Van Oss thinks campus parking an issue that is outrageous, she said. 

“I think that limited number of parking spots on campus is ridiculous because of the number of commuters that attend UNA,” Van Oss said. 

Students have the option to park at off-campus locations and ride shuttle buses to campus, Pastula said. 

“All I can really do is encourage students to use the off-campus parking sites because parking is crazy around here,” Pastula said. 

Sophomore Paris Creed said that she tries to get to campus really early to find a parking spot. 

“I usually get here about an hour or more before my first class is supposed to start, Creed said. “I think we need to spend more time and effort on getting more parking on campus because parking at Darby Drive and the off campus parking garage are really inconvenient for the majority of the people.” 

Using the off-campus parking prevents the hassle of trying to find a spot, making it easier on everyone, Pastula said