Repairing parking lots, streamlining customer services and rezoning the University's lots are all part of the administration's agenda for parking, as the Division of Auxiliary Services begins a long-term strategic planning process for campus parking.
Catherine Reeve, director of parking and transportation services, has been at the University for only a semester, but she has already begun to change some structural aspects of her own office.
She has opened a new room at the Campus Drive office, where students and staff can take care of everything, from permits to tickets. Reeve said that before, it was often a frustrating experience when customers had to go to different ends of the office for different services. The office has also extended its closing time from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
Reeve has also reorganized the office's staff. Chuck Landis, parking services manager, will take on a new role as communications and special events manager. She also hopes to bring in a new assistant director soon, who will oversee parking enforcement, permit sales, routine maintenance and adjudication.
In addition, she has created a position specifically for program planning--as of Monday, she had made an offer to someone, but could not yet announce a hire.
Reeve also said the new Duke Transportation Advising Council will soon be assembled and that she hopes it will meet by the end of the month. The council will be comprised of three Duke Student Government members, three Graduate and Professional School Council members, three faculty members and three staff members. Duke University Police Department Chief Clarence Birkhead, University Architect John Pearce, Facilities Management Director Jerry Black and Reeve will also sit on the committee ex officio.
The committee will advise Reeve, who will be responsible for policy changes.
"Parking policy will come from Cathy with input of that team," said Joe Pietrantoni, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services. "It's a big step to start... opening the lines of communication."
Reeve said she hopes to have each zone's price based on whether its location is premium, proximate or remote. Those designations will likely be a major component of the department's plan.
Pietrantoni stressed that for most undergraduates, the Blue Zone will continue to be their parking lot.
Reeve has also previously said that in the future, parking prices may rise to accommodate improvements to the parking and transportation system at Duke. She said networking all the lots' gates, improving the lots' conditions and adding more bus shelters are all goals, as is implementing a park-and-ride service for graduate students, faculty and staff as a separate option.
She hoped, before Spring Break begins, that students would be able to settle their parking arrangements for next year as well, as her office allows students to pay online for parking spaces.
In the short term, Reeve said she did not yet have a precise figure on how many parkers will be displaced when the Divinity School lot closes in May for construction of the new engineering plaza and Divinity School chapel.
Reeve said she was pleased that the construction of a new office building and parking deck will not require the closing of the Bryan Center lot.
Reeve will also assess how much displacement will occur in the Blue Zone lot as a result of the entire sophomore class moving to West Campus next year.
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