Students
find extra parking at Veterans Stadium
By
Kimberlee Morrison
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
With construction of a new parking structure taking place in Lot 11, there
might be some serious problems finding parking on campus; however Cal State
Long Beach is offering several alternatives to on-campus parking, the main
one being the use of Veterans Stadium.
In preparation for construction, the university began offering shuttles to
and from Veterans Stadium three years ago, according to Thomas Bass, director
of Parking and Transportation Services.
There are currently 400 spaces reserved there for CSULB students, according
to Veterans Stadium Manager and Long Beach City College (LBCC) Rental Manager
Bob Johnson. However, Bass believes that during construction use of Veterans
Stadium will increase as it already has over the last year.
“Due to construction we are suffering a substantial loss of 750 spaces
in Lot 11,” said Bass. “I believe that Veteran’s Stadium will
become an extremely viable alternative.”
However, this alternative may not be as viable for some as might be for others.
According to parking officials, the first shuttle from Veterans Stadium to
CSULB will not leave until 8 a.m. and the final shuttle from CSULB to the stadium
will leave at 5 p.m. The Veterans Stadium parking option will not be of help
students who have classes later than the scheduled shuttle runs.
Russell Pierce, a senior psychology major, is one such student. Many of his
classes are in the evening, and utilizing Veterans Stadium parking would not
work with his schedule.
For students with early morning classes, parking may not be that big of an
issue after the initial congestion of the first couple weeks of the fall semester.
Physical therapy masters student Kara Costello is hoping this is the case.
“My classes are in the morning so hopefully it won’t be too bad,” she
said. “It’s just frustrating that I will not benefit from the new
structure.”
Another concern with parking at the stadium is how it will affect students
attending LBCC.
According to Johnson, CSULB use of Veterans Stadium will not affect LBCC students
at all, the main reason being Veterans Stadium is almost two blocks away from
the community college and they only use approximately one-third of the 4,500-space
lot.
“LBCC students tend to look for parking closer to campus,” said Johnson.
Johnson also said that if the need arises, CSULB students could use as many
spaces as necessary above the 400 currently reserved at no extra charge to
the university.
One plus to utilizing the stadium parking would be that the university does
not pass the expense of leasing stadium spaces on to students. Students can
park at Veterans Stadium and ride the shuttle to CSULB for free.
Pierce said that he could not imagine parking on campus could get any worse
than it was prior to construction, and many students expressed the same sentiment.
Hector Gonzales, a biochemistry major, said he would just try to give himself
more time to find parking by arriving early. He expressed fears that after
construction is complete, there will still be problems finding parking on campus,
but he understood the necessity for additional parking.
“I know they’re doing the best they can,” Gonzales said. “I
just wish there was another way.” |
