Pricing for student parking will continue to rise next year with the 2013-14 yearly permit prices expected to rise 4.8 percent, according to a presentation by NKU Director for Business and Auxiliary Services Andy Meeks.
This 4.8 percent increase will mean an extra $10.08 spent on parking by students for a year-long permit compared to this year’s price of $210.
Meeks said that this increase is needed to increase the department’s revenue, in order to keep up with current parking maintenance and to save up for the construction of additional parking spaces.
Additional parking is expected to be needed within the upcoming school years to keep up with the growing NKU population’s parking needs, Meeks said.
Parking Services is a department within NKU that does not receive state or other funding, which means, according to Meeks, all money needed to maintain current parking areas and build new ones must come from within.
“The state [of Kentucky] does not fund parking, so the department must be completely self sustainable,” Meeks said.
According to Meeks, the price of one outdoor paved-surface parking spot is $8,000 dollars, with the cost of one spot in a parking garage around $19,500. The total cost estimated by Meeks for a new parking garage on campus would be between $12-15 million.
“With the addition of the CRC [Campus Recreation Center] renovations, we will lose 400 gravel spots,” Meeks said. “So parking will definitely need to be made available elsewhere.”
Ideas for what kind of parking will be constructed are undecided.
NKU Student Government Association President Erik Pederson recognized the raise in prices.
“I feel like it is normal and needed,” he said. “Business Auxiliary Services is self-funded and there is a lot of money needed to keep up with parking services.”
Pederson added that he agrees additional parking will be needed soon to keep up with the growth of the NKU community.
“It really depends on what students want,” he said addressing the issue of what types of parking he thinks should be constructed. “If students want gravel, we need to try and get them gravel, if they want all parking garages we should try everything we can to get them garages.”
It’s all about trying to keep parking affordable for students while still maintaining the quality of the parking experience, according to Pederson.
Semester-only parking permit prices are set to rise four percent, with summer-only permits set to increase 4.2 percent, according to Meeks.
There are currently 24 parking lots on campus, with 17 available for student use. All of the parking lots require permits.
There are also three parking garages on campus which do not require parking permits. Rates vary from $1.75 for the first half-hour, to a $6.50 daily maximum. Permits provide free access to all the garages on campus.
