The landscape continues to change at UTC as several campus buildings are renovated and plans for more changes are announced.
“Construction is the sign of a vibrant, progressive campus that’s alive with activity. We recognize that sometimes it causes an inconvenience, but renovations and new buildings are necessary to keep the campus moving forward,” Chuck Cantrell, UTC Associate Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communication, said, “We want to provide the best learning and living environment possible for our students.”
Update on library construction
The new UTC library is nearing completion and scheduled to open in January 2015. Construction of the building is nearly finished and furniture delivery is underway. Installation of telecommunications, swipe card access, and security video will begin at the end of the month. The process of moving the collections from the Lupton Library will begin after the fall 2014 semester.
Upcoming green space
Work on a green space filled with sidewalks, trees, and pedestrian lighting to connect the new library with Chamberlain Pavilion will begin in October. Built in 2013, Chamberlain Pavilion reflects the architecture of the former stadium and incorporates building elements from the original structure. The pavilion pays tribute to the University’s winning traditions and stands as a beautiful new gateway to Chamberlain Field and the new library.
New residence hall construction
A new residence hall complex is tentatively scheduled to begin construction in May 2015. The residence hall will be located near Boling Apartments and McKenzie Arena. The building is projected to house an additional 600 students. This project is currently in the initial design phase.
New home for UTC Criminal Justice Department
This year, the University added a 15,914 square foot building on the corner of McCallie Avenue and Palmetto Street. The former home of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Red Cross, the building now houses offices, classrooms, and laboratories for the UTC Department of Criminal Justice. Repairs to the roof, heating and air, and the electrical system were completed over the summer.
When are you guys going to address the issue of parking? Every year there is only a limited amount of reserved parking passes which sell out in April and the rest of us commuting to school are left with only a handful of general lots to park in. You cannot continue to build new infrastructure and admit as many new students as you are while allocating none of that money on additional parking to accommodate this growth. For the school to simply ignore this problem and leave students with the option of getting to school before 8:30 or being stuck searching for a parking spot for over an hour (yes over an hour, this has happened to me many a time this semester) and still possibly be late for class. This reflects complete irresponsibility on the university’s part as well as a disregard for the well being of students. Don’t send out UTC memos talking trying to express concern for the students’ safety / stress level during exams while completely ignoring a huge issue on campus that stresses out all the “second class students” who get stuck with general parking passes. I’m sick of my university constantly letting me down by failing to so much as address this issue, let alone fix it, and I can’t call myself proud to be a student somewhere that is obviously so unorganized, bad at planning, and has little to no regard for its students well being as long as profits are still being made.
Meridith,
I remember as a student at UTC in the 80’s, I had similar struggles with parking. Parking sucks: it’s expensive, and it’s hard to find. The only tactic that ever worked for me was to arrive early enough to find an on-street or general parking spot.
Look at maps of UTC, and you’ll notice a lot of real estate is dedicated to parking. There are 20 General Parking lots, and a similar number of Reserved. There are some newer General lots (55, 56, 57) at 8th & Houston, and more will become available when UTC takes control of the State Office Complex on McCallie. Park & Ride from the Engel Stadium Shuttle is always a better option than hunting for a spot for over an hour, when you’re already late for class.
While building more parking garages might seem an easy fix, these structures are extremely expensive to design and build, due to the enormous weight of the vehicles they must accommodate. Garages are permanent: the land is no longer available for development, in contrast to surface parking lots, which are easily repurposed for new construction (new library, for example).
It’s not just UTC that has challenges with parking: employers, retailers, schools, etc. all have parking problems. For a university in an urban center, it’s a huge challenge. I doubt there is another institution in downtown Chattanooga with as many commuters and residents as UTC, and likely not another with as large a footprint already devoted to parking.
During the planning process, all institutions consider transportation, of which parking is only one component. Think about the trip from home to school. While it would be convenient for every automobile driver to have a door-to-door route, it’s not feasible for all drivers when multiplied by several thousand. And providing a convenient parking spot for every driver does not serve others who walk, bike, or ride the bus. It wouldn’t serve the drivers, either, because adding that many spots would cause parking pass fees to rise (a lot).
UTC has actually spent quality time thinking and planning for the transportation needs of students, faculty, staff and visitors. Look at the bicycle racks & rentals, free CARTA rides, Mocs Express shuttle, greenway paths, walking paths, etc. This campus transportation matrix contains many different modes.
Getting back to your commute: mix it up and consider alternative modes. Look for available spots in the outlying lots. Try the Mocs Express Shuttle. Consider a bus route. Maybe even try bringing a bike in your car, parking in a free lot off-campus, and riding to and from. When I was in school, I eventually decided it was cheaper and more convenient to rent an apartment and ride my bike to campus. This was in the 80’s, when there were no bike racks at UTC, and very few cyclists. Today, as a UTC staffer, I don’t even bother to buy a parking pass; I carpool most days, and often bring a bike so I can park for free at Engel, and cycle to work, meals and meetings.
I’m not saying my tactics will work for you, but I am sure if you look for options, you’ll find more than one way to get to class on time.