Workers construct the parking garage next to Vaught–Hemingway Stadium at the University of Mississippi, Monday, Nov. 3, 2014. Photo by Kayla Beatty
Come next semester, the Arena Garage next to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium will provide an answer to many students’ parking woes.
The five-level parking garage, expected to open in January, is offering students and faculty parking spaces for the remainder of the 2014-2015 school year. Each spot will cost approximately $250, and will last from January until Aug. 15. The cost for a year-long parking pass, which will be offered starting in August of the 2015-2016 academic year, will be $500.
Mike Harris, director of the Department of Parking and Transportation, said that of the 832 parking spaces in the garage, approximately 400 spaces will be available for reservation, and the remaining spaces will be used for timed parking.
“Anyone can go in there and park on timed parking,” said Harris. “Whether you have a permit or don’t have a permit, none of that matters.”
The Department of Parking and Transportation began taking reservations for parking spaces on Monday, and spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. As of Tuesday, 45 people had reserved spaces.
Though the purchase of a pass guarantees parking in the garage, each vehicle is not assigned a specific parking space. Those purchasing parking passes will be admitted hangtags with a radio frequency identification device, or RFID, which will allow entry into the garage.
Visitors who do not have hangtags have the option to either pay on foot or in-lane as they exit, and will be charged $2 for the first hour of parking, and $1 for every additional hour up to $10 for a 24-hour period, according to Harris.
Parking for permitted vehicles is restricted to Mondays through Fridays, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. For basketball and football game weekends, use of the parking garage will be overseen by the athletics department.
Dan O’Dowd, associate athletics director for development, said parking will be sold for athletics events as a season-long pass.
“If there is space available in lots designated for athletics event parking after all season requests are filled, then the remaining spaces will be made available on a game by game basis,” he said.
Though plans have not been confirmed by the university, the Department of Parking and Transportation hopes to break ground on another parking garage over the summer — this one for residential use.
