Over Spring Break, residential lot P30 was closed and fenced off for construction of the new engineering building. Lot P20 was changed from a commuter to both commuter and residential parking zone.

“The majority of the parking lot is going to be benched out,” Matt Welch Tarleton State University Police Chief, said. “There are going to be about 90 spaces that face Washington open. The residential student parking will be replaced.”

Some students have expressed their concerns about parking and what will happen.

“I think it’s great that Tarleton is

expanding and what not, but parking is already an issue here, so they’re about to make it worse,” freshman Sarah Naser said.

“There’s already limited parking so I think they should also make more parking lots along with the new projects that they are doing,” Peyton Burney, freshman, said.

There will be options to where students can park. “They can park in the lot across from the cemetery, P41, the Horticulture lot or in the stadium parking lot,” Welch said. “Residents can park anywhere on campus where there is parking available. This lot that is being closed is all residential, so it will not affect commuter parking.

“There haven’t been any complaints, to me, about this; not yet. You’ll see more after the fact.”

According to Welch, the spring semester normally has less parking issues because of lower enrollment and education and nursing majors off campus for student teaching and clinicals. He knows in the fall, this will become a bigger issue.

“My first priority is safety of the campus, but parking, at any university, is an issue. We hope they have it better than a lot of people. They realize how much better that it is at certain schools,” Welch said. “When you’re one of the fastest growing universities in the country, it’s a supply and demand and people are doing the very best to add more parking for students.

“My job is to manage parking; I don’t dictate where they build buildings. I worry about the things that I can control, not what I can’t. It goes with any job. It’s

a neat building and I am very excited for it.”

Additional parking will be made available in P34 and P39, as well as new lots at Neblett St., Jones St., Washington St. and N. St. Felix Streets are expected to add approximately 455 parking spaces for students between now and the fall semester.