Parking lot renovations for CSU East Bay began July 18, as years of deferment due to lack of funding and environmental issues have postponed renovations fixes Facilities Management said are decades overdue.
Energy efficient plasma lights that can last up to 40,000 hours, trees and foliage that are drought-resistant, resurfacing of 3,000 parking stalls in Hayward and Concord campuses and improvements to asphalt and cement are among the updates for CSUEB campus this summer.
Students and faculty can expect to see changes to campus parking lots by the start of Fall quarter.
According to Christopher Brown, deputy vice president of Enterprise Operations and Facilities Management, the parking lot has been long overdue in terms of renovations and upkeep, but more affordable costs this year has allowed them to begin proper maintenance and renovation.
Using an estimated 2.2 million for renovations, Brown said students have all the right in asking where their parking money has gone, and that now they’ll be able to see and benefit from it.
“[Students and faculty] deserve a quality parking facility,” said Brown. “You pay a fair price you deserve a fair service.”
Brown said that money for this is only being used from the parking fund, and that Facilities Management has made it their objective to always keep students in mind, aiming to spend the student’s money wisely.
Facilities Management will renovate parking lots F, G, H, N and P on the Hayward campus as well as lots N and P in Concord.
According to a press release by the university, Brown said that upon completion of the project, “we’re going to have safe, well maintained and attractive parking facilities.”
According to Brown, some tree species were chosen that weren’t appropriate for asphalts, and as a consequence those trees have created the asphalt to lift “up to 16 inches in places,” and thus create a safety hazard.
Citing security and safety for drivers in parking lots as an important issue as they begin renovation, Brown said that although they have never had serious injuries in the past, they don’t believe they have to wait for one to occur.
Energy efficient lights, he said, will not only improve nighttime visibility but provide substantial energy savings for the school as well, as the new lights outlast former lights by 3,800 hours.
Many CSUEB students say they are both excited to see their parking lot upgraded, but concerned over the traffic issues construction and renovation might create.
“It feels like we experience one traffic problem after another at CSUEB,” said Biology major Kelly Scant. “While construction is a positive thing, it’s almost always during busy commute times, which make it so much harder to get to classes on time.”
Brown assures that construction won’t slow down traffic getting to campus, rather it will just effect how close to their classes students might park.
Other students said that traffic was of the least of their concerns, as long as the parking lot is completed and properly maintained from now on.
“We’ve been paying and overpaying for this since I started here, so I’m just glad they’re finally doing something about it,” said Business Administration major Sohail Hatef.
In conclusion, Brown said this is great news for students and faculty, as they can now reap the benefits of their fees and begin to see their school improve.
“They need to feel that they go to a school that believes in making their campus presentable,” said Brown. “Having an esthetically pleasing campus is part of that pride factor for students.”
