School board addresses parking issue

200 spaces for FHS students will be added near facility

FAYETTEVILLE — The School Board on Thursday approved adding 200 parking spaces for students in three places surrounding the high school.

The School District also intends to improve current parking sites, including re-striping, filling potholes and expanding lot entries. It’s estimated the work will cost $866,000, according to Megan Slocum, the district’s associate superintendent for support services.

The money will come from the district’s building fund. Slocum stressed the cost is only an estimate; a firmer number won’t be possible until after the projects are put out for bid. She said she hopes to get all of the projects done in time for the start of next school year.

District officials view the plan as a long-term fix for a parking problem plaguing the high school for years. The number of student spaces will increase from 446 to 646. There were 525 requests for a parking permit this year, Slocum said.

Slocum last month presented the board several options for increasing parking spaces. The board asked her to return this month with a recommendation on which options would deliver the most bang for the district’s bucks.

The student lot north of the high school will be expanded and reconfigured to add 67 spaces. The fence between the central administration building and the lot will be removed.

Administrators feel they have a “safety issue” with that lot, and reconfiguring it to make it flow better will alleviate some of that concern, Slocum said.

Students will gain 70 spaces through an addition to the school’s front parking lot, while another 63 will be added behind the administration building.

Also, in an effort to ease frustration among parent and student drivers and bus drivers, the buses will be brought through the front parking lot rather than having them stage on the school’s north side.

That will help alleviate traffic on Stadium Drive, said Superintendent John L Colbert.

In the meantime, the district is investigating other ways of reducing student demand for parking, such as encouraging students to take the bus, partnering with University of Arkansas Transit, and partnering with churches for additional parking spaces.

Nika Waitsman, a board member, praised the plan. She joked she felt compelled to kiss Slocum’s feet for the work she has put into researching the issue over the past few months.

“We’re just so grateful that you’ve gone to look at all of these alternatives,” Waitsman said.

Board member Keaton Smith thanked Slocum as well. He also mentioned how the future might be shaped by autonomous vehicles, which could drastically reduce the demand for parking, “Because you’ll basically be able to get a driverless Uber and get dropped off, and it will be super cheap and easy,” Smith said.

Rich Grubbs, who owns 324 S. Buchanan Ave., just across the street from the high school, started a student lot on his property to help with the parking need and has a waiting list every year. Grubbs has been among those who have urged the district to provide more parking for students. Grubbs was pleased to hear of the board’s action when contacted Thursday night.

“That sounds wonderful,” he said.

Fayetteville High School has 794 parking spaces, 446 of which are reserved for students and 238 of which are for faculty.

The rest are provided for administrators, visitors and the handicapped.