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No parking — problems — at YSU SClB
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
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Parking spaces on YSU’s campus filled up quickly at several locations Monday. The 1,300-space Lincoln Avenue parking deck closed Monday for repairs and is scheduled to reopen Aug. 29.
YOUNGSTOWN
The first day of shuttling Youngstown State University students to campus from the Covelli Centre was peaceful.
About 200 cars were parked at Covelli by 11 a.m. Monday with shuttles running continuously, even if they had only one or two students.
Frances Fuller, a YSU sophomore studying business and art, parked her car and boarded a bus to get to her campus job as a peer mentor at the Center for Student Progress.
“I did get here earlier than usual. As a peer mentor, I hear a lot of venting and people were saying, ‘This is never going to work.’ I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” said Fuller, who commutes from Boardman.
Major renovations to the 40-year-old M-2 Lincoln Avenue parking deck on campus began Monday. The parking deck has about 1,300 parking spaces and will reopen for the start of fall semester Aug. 29.
YSU officials said the construction schedule was chosen to cause the least disruption because parking needs are less in the summer than during the regular academic year.
YSU spokesman Ron Cole said the first day of shuttling was a success.
“We were receiving few complaints, so it seems like everything has gone very well, and we’re happy with how it’s gone so far. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes,” Cole said.
Danny O’Connell, YSU’s director of support services, said Monday’s changes went even better than he had anticipated.
“We had more than enough shuttles,” he said. “Folks got down there early. A lot of people were prepared and came to the Covelli Centre right away. I think all the publicity helped tremendously.”
Individuals parking at the center still need to display a valid YSU parking permit. The shuttle buses will operate continuously between the center and Moser Hall on Lincoln Avenue between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Parking on the north side of Lincoln Avenue is prohibited from now until the end of spring semester so that the buses can unload safely, Cole said.
“We had no problems with people trying to park there [Monday],” he said.
O’Connell plans to make adjustments after Wednesday for next week’s shuttle schedule.
“We had more buses than we needed” Monday, he said. “We had seven, and we probably could have gotten by with five, but I felt it was worth the investment. If we’re going to err, I’d rather err with too much service than with not enough.”
Contributor: Denise Dick, staff writer.