KINGSTON, R.I., -- February 16, 2001 -- The University of Rhode Island will hold a series of public meetings on a final consultant’s report that lists various parking options for the Kingston Campus that include a $13.8 million, 1,000-space parking garage, gated lots, parking fees and improved campus shuttle service.
"We want to engage the campus and surrounding community so that everyone can react to the report," said Kathleen Mallon, URI assistant to the president and director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research. "We have not formulated our plan yet, so these discussions will inform the University’s proposal to the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education."
Representatives of Chance Management Inc., Philadelphia, which prepared the report, will visit the Kingston Campus on Feb. 28 and March 1 to meet with various groups in the Student Senate Chambers of the Memorial Union. The Chance Management representatives will be on hand to make presentations and answer questions at each session. A list of the meetings follows:
• Wednesday, Feb. 28, 6:30 to 7 p.m., Student Senate and Graduate Student Association.
• Thursday, March 1, 8 to 9:30 a.m., University Forum, University Union Coalition and Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
• Thursday, March, 1, 10 to 11 a.m., open forum.
A draft report of the Chance recommendations has already been shared with campus groups and the South Kingstown Town Council.
Goody Clancy & Associates, URI’s consultant on its master plan, retained Chance Management.
The final report, which will be available next week on-line at the URI website at www.uri.edu/spir and in hard copy versions through the Office of Strategic Planning & Institutional Research will be discussed through the spring semester. The next step will be the development of a proposal that would have to be approved by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education in the fall 2001, so that any cost and revenues associated with the plan can be built into the budget for the following year.
Mallon said the goal is to have a comprehensive parking system in place for the fall semester of 2002.
