Officials will reopen parking in Lot 45 Wednesday; students work around construction

The construction near Merrill, Sweeney and Thorpe halls keeping students from parking in Lot 45 is almost complete.

The parking lot will reopen Wednesday, said Linda Slater, director of Plant Engineering and Planning.

Since Jan. 7, construction has been ongoing on chilled water lines around the entrance to Lot 45 near the three residence halls. Events Center construction workers tapped into the chilled water supply to tie in return lines to the facility.

“These lines are needed to support air conditioning in the Events Center,” Slater said.

The construction caused minor complications for students who use the parking lot. Its entrance is torn apart and the lot is being used to store construction equipment.

“It’s packed now,” said Richard Hayes, an Illinois sophomore. “It all started during (holiday) break, just before we came back.”

Students housed in Beddow, Sweeney, Thorpe and Merrill were notified through e-mail Jan. 6, one day before construction started, Slater said. According to the e-mail, students will not receive any reimbursement for parking passes this semester, which cost $150 for a full year.

Armada junior Sheri Lewis would normally park in Lot 45, but has found ways around the problem.

“They e-mailed us 3 or 4 days before we moved in,” she said. “It’s supposed to last 2-3 weeks but, for now, we can park in Merrill.”

The students were told to use Lot 44 between Merrill and Beddow halls or to park in Lots 63 and 64 — normally designated for freshmen near Kelly/Shorts Stadium — and use Safe Rides to get back to the residence halls.

Lewis said she has received a parking ticket in Merrill’s lot.

“I ended up parking on one of the end caps,” she said, noting that she lost an appeal for the ticket, despite the construction. “It looked like a parking spot.”

Slater said any minor additional work impacting the parking lot will be completed during CMU’s spring break.