The Solution

The TCU parking situation holds two main issues. The first is lack of spaces, meaning a shortage of places to park on campus. This leads to students missing or being late to classes and cars being parked illegally, and in front of peoples homes. The other main issue with the current TCU parking situation is the lack of covered parking. In Texas hail becomes a major issue around spring time. The lack of covered parking, causes hail to take a toll on cars that are parked on campus. The solution to both major issues, to me seems relatively simple. We need to construct a parking garage. A parking garage would provide both covered parking, allowing protection from extreme weather, and more parking spots. Now at this point your probably thinking, that sounds fine and good but how do we fund it. Well a parking garage would cost an estimated 10 million 150 thousands dollars (this is covered in greater depth in my previous post). When reviewing parts of our schools budget with hopes of finding either an extra 10 million dollars, or an expense that we currently pay that is unnecessary and holds enough value to meet the expensive requirement of the structure, I came up short handed. So my solution is donors. Last year donors contributed 105 million dollars for the construction of a massive new stadium. Now I am not opposed to this, however I am willing to bet that if TCU tried it could find donations for a new parking garage. In order for this too happen we need the board to reach out to alumni. I feel that the board should post information on the issue in our alumni magazine as well as send out emails both explaining the issue, providing estimates, and asking for donations from alumni. I love TCU and will bleed purple to my death, which is why I feel a parking garage is necessary. It will not only better our school, but also show that TCU recognizes the issue and cares for the quality of the college experience its students have.

More Spaces Needed!

Every Student that has attempted to park at TCU, whether it be for class or because you live in a dorm, knows the frustration that is parking at TCU. To say that the student parking situation at TCU is ridiculous would be an understatement. A lack of parking spots results in students being forced to park on main roads, and in front of residential houses. It has made illegal parking, a crime that the majority of students have committed simply to make it class on time. The main reason behind the terrible parking situation is the growth in population that TCU has experienced over the past few years. To me the solution seems rather simple, build a parking garage. At Texas A&M students are provided with five different parking garages, the smallest of which being four stories and the largest being eight. If we were to build a basic parking garage that was structured around the style A&M uses we would gain an additional 400 spots per level. If we made it a five story garage, we would provide students over 2000 parking spots. This is enough to completely clear out the congested streets around TCU that are crowded with parked cars, and allow students to have a guaranteed spot.  Now according to Fixr.com, an online service used to help find reliable private contractors, a five story parking garage of this magnitude would run an estimated cost of 8-9 million dollars. This cost includes $70 an hour for excavators and other private building contractors needed, electricians that run between $65-80 an hour, materials at roughly 6.5 million dollars, and architectural costs around 1.5 million. All in all it averages out to stand around $59 per square foot, where the national average for a parking garage this size stands around $50-70 per square foot.  For the sake of my argument if we consider the extreme of $70 a square foot we are looking at a project costing 10 million, 150 thousand dollars. To me a parking garage is the solution, it provides students with plenty of spaces, and will help cut down on illegal parking and street congestion.

http://www.nrwelch.wordpress.com/

Texas Hail and Our Cars.

Every Texas resident dreads the sound, as heavy winds pick up during March and April we know it to mean one thing, hail season.  During late March through late May, hail storms and tornados are unavoidable inconveniences for Texas citizens.  For residents local to the DFW area, one can only look outside and hope their home will be able to withstand the pounding blow after blow, anxious for the storm to end. A TCU student that happens to be on campus during a storm can take comfort in knowing there is no cover over their car for protection, and they have only the option to sit in class or in their dorm while they watch the hail and hold their breath praying for minimal damages. During a late night April storm last year; my car received $2200 dollars in hail damage, money that came out of my pocket. Had TCU provided covered parking these damages could have been minimalized or even prevented altogether. If you’re not convinced that TCU needs a parking garage in order to expand the number of spaces available, then hopefully you realize that in a state that has weather as bi-polar as Texas covered parking is a must!

Hail from the North Texas Storm on April 25,2011.
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/dpp/weather/042511-Hail-Storms-Batter-North-Texas

2011 TCU Parking Video

I did not create this video nor is it my intellectual property. I am simply posting it to my blog because I felt it did a good job of showcasing the current parking problem, as well as providing student opinions. The video was created in order to help promote a vote for better parking at TCU that took place at the end of last semester, the vote did not succeed.