Poly’s baseball parking lot underwent a much needed makeover during the summer. The district’s call for this remodel was long overdue, according to assistant Activities Director Virginia Agredano-Perez, who stated that she couldn’t recall the last time the lot was worked on.
The renovation included a new walkway along the baseball field, which provided an easier way for pedestrians to move across the lot if necessary and for drivers to get to their cars. However, what was not implemented in the new structure’s plan was a drop-off zone for parents.
The amount of students that get dropped off outweighs those that can drive themselves. Each morning on Jackrabbit Lane, 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Street is a nightmare with these parents blocking the road. How are students expected to be on time to class when the traffic stops them from parking immediately when arriving at school?
Senior Kayla Gibson states that, “in order to comfortably get a parking spot, [she] has to get to school early.” Gibson, who parks on M.L.K. Street everyday, was unable to get a parking permit, another downside to the lot’s “improvement”. The total amount of permits distributed this school year was 173, around eighteen less than the total available last year.
“I don’t understand why they got rid of a whole row of spots,” senior Katie Pream pointed out, noticing the decrease in spots did not ease the difficulty faced when leaving school.
With the decrease in spots, students have to resort to parking on M.L.K. Jr. Street, 15th Street, and even 17th Street. An issue with parking on the street is twice a week street sweeping eliminates parking spots. Last school year, the times changed to 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Gibson explained that the change in street-sweeping days has been extremely inconvenient, and she has seen students running late to class from having trouble finding parking spots on those two days.
