UHS Student Parking

Accessibility is something schools constantly strive for. Parking is one of the biggest challenges they face because many students need parking and it can be costly. Currently, there are only 31 parking spaces in the Urbana High School (UHS) student lot.

While students may also park along neighboring streets, parking is an issue at UHS that isn’t going away. The problem has grown over the summer, since the renovation of Race St. has taken away some student parking spaces.

“I think it would be nice to give the students more opportunity to park closer to the school if we can,” said Travis Courson, assistant principal.

Many students can’t afford the fee to park in the designated student zone or simply don’t get one before they run out. These students have to park further away making them have a longer journey to the school and more likely to be late.

“If students have ideas on how to improve the parking lot, I would love to hear them,” said Principal Matthew Stark.

While no ideas have been proposed, staff is trying to come up with a solution to the parking problem. The biggest issue is cost because if budget is spent on a parking lot, it can’t be spent on replacing classroom equipment.

“I would like to get rid of the tree trunks to allow for more spaces, [but] there is not much of a budget for maintaining the lot. I am open to suggestions and ideas on renovations,” Eric Morrow, Dean, said.

The building between student parking and the school belongs to UHS and is used for storage. It could be torn down and the space could be used for more student parking. UHS could find room for that storage elsewhere because the building being removed is not that large. While this is costly, it is most likely less costly than tearing down the trees next to the parking lot.

English Teacher Erin Ludwick said, “Without knowing the cost involved, I would say expanding the student lot is the best option.”

A fundraiser might be the best option for a new student lot. If students truly want a new parking lot, they will be willing to work for it.