Parking Garage Update: How It Affects You
February 26, 2015
By: Lisa Danca
“Students have to come to class and we have to minimize the inconvenience for them. If we inconvenience the students, we will lose them from the university. We simply can’t do that; they are our number one consideration,” stated President Patricia Meservey last Thursday at a meeting held in Veterans Hall when addressing how faculty, staff and students would be impacted by the construction of the parking garage in the Peabody Hall parking lot. In addition to the new garage benefitting students, Meservey also said it would aid people with physical limitations. “We have challenges as it is with our handicap parking, and we need to make sure the individuals in our community have able access to park closer to where they’re working.”
On March 16, implementation of the new parking plan will begin and selected faculty and staff will be assigned to park at Shetland Park, located 1.1 miles from campus on Congress Street in downtown Salem. On March 23 students should note there will be limited parking for them at the Peabody lot once construction is underway. According to the SSU Construction’s blog, “A dedicated Cavalier shuttle will pick up at the Shetland Park lot every half hour beginning at 6:30 am and will make its last drop off at 6:30 pm. A pick up at the South Harbor garage will be made shortly after the half hour. The shuttle will make pick up and drop off stops at each campus. The student run shuttle, which runs from 3:00 pm to 1:00 am, will bring people to Shetland Park upon request. That shuttle stops at each campus as well. A more detailed schedule with times for campus locations will be forthcoming. The shuttle makes regular pick ups at the MBTA station in the morning and drop offs in the afternoon and will make trips at other times upon request. That shuttle is timed to the schedule of incoming and outgoing trains.”
With the exception of those who work at South Campus, second shift workers, and those who are handicapped, faculty and staff are required to park off campus for a periodof six weeks. The six week blocks are March 23-May 4, September 2-October 16, and October 19-November 24. However, if a faculty or staff member contacts Andrea DeMello, Manager of Salem State Operations, to volunteer for more than one block you will receive $50 for your Clipper Card. The deadline for volunteering for the first block is February 28, and anyone selected for the first block will be notified by March 6.
President Meservery understands the next eight months will be hard for her and her team of colleagues, but she believes if people carpool, bike to work, and utilize public transportation it will make the time go by faster.
Contributor’s Note: After living on campus for two and a half years, Lisa is now commuting this semester.