ALEX BUCKNAM
Managing Editor
When it comes to parking on campus, Fredonia has a lot — but not enough right next to academic buildings, according to Markus Kessler, Fredonia’s director of facilities planning.
The issue has become increasingly noticeable as more students return to campus and rely on closer parking between classes.
Most importantly, a significant amount of accessible parking was blocked off, raising concerns among students and visitors who depend on those designated spaces.
Kessler said this was because space was needed for the construction crew and equipment staging.
Other issue areas included fencing off the grass area next to Jewett, but that would not be suitable for the long term or for ongoing construction needs.
“We constantly [would] have to close [the lot] off. We also must provide space for contractor trailers, [or] if we have to bring in a crane or something like that,” Kessler said. “So, the construction fund always asks, ‘can we take a parking lot that’s close to the building for something like this?’”
Kessler said he is aware of the loss of accessible parking and is working alongside the University Police Department to find alternatives while renovations are taking place, though specific solutions are still being evaluated.
Parking lots near Dods, Jewett, Thompson and Fenton Halls fill up quickly because of how convenient they are to academic buildings, especially during peak class hours in the late morning and early afternoon.
Students often circle these lots looking for open spaces, adding to congestion.
In March, students noticed that Jewett Hall parking, also known as Lot 13, was blocked off, prompting confusion among those who regularly relied on the lot for daily parking.
This was due to Jewett Hall beginning major renovations to maintain compliance with Fredonia’s 2011 Facilities Master Plan.
Kessler described the plan as a long-term framework that has guided several campus improvement projects over the years.
The 2011 plan called for the renovation, demolition and rebuilding of Jewett Hall to create a one-stop shop for students, centralizing key services in one accessible location.
“‘One stop’ is a student services model that relies heavily on highly developed and intuitive online portals, transaction-enabling self-service, cross-trained staff, and thorough integration of ‘traditional services,’” Fredonia’s website says. “It aims, in all, to empower students to get what they need, when they need it, from anywhere, at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m. It aims also to liberate institutions from archaic, inefficient, often redundant models suited for a bygone era.”
This would bring offices like the Registrar and the Career and Development Office into one building, with many more offices to be added, potentially reducing the need for students to travel across campus for different services.
When the parking lot was closed, it caused some frustration on Yik Yak, with many students upset that the lot would be unavailable, requiring them to park farther away and adjust their daily routines.
Kessler said that the construction timeline left little time to prepare for the impact or communicate changes fully to the campus community ahead of time.
“When the school found out the construction was going to start, it left them no time to prepare and look at all issues this would cause,” he said.
“The day I sent out that campuswide email was on a Friday. The following Tuesday, they were going to start,” he added, emphasizing how quickly the project moved forward.
Construction is expected to last until 2028, with the parking lot being blocked throughout the whole time.
Kessler is actively looking and meeting with the Student Association to help solve the accessible parking being blocked.
The Leader will help provide any updates as they come.