The parking crunch has hit Portland. There are a substantial number of open parking spaces in the Marginal Way lot and at the Scarborough Sam’s Club to alleviate the stress of parking. Both lots have been sanctioned by USM and are available to students throughout the construction of the parking garage.
Mike Mullett, director of Commuter Student Services, found a way not only to raise the awareness of the increased parking opportunities but also give away prizes. Every week a car is chosen at random from the Marginal Way lot. The owner of that car gets $25 just for parking there.
“Last week we gave people a $25 gift certificate to the bookstore. This week it has been dining bucks,” Mullett said.
Starting Feb. 3, the prize will be given away weekly as opposed to daily.
“It is really to heighten awareness about parking at Marginal Way,” Mullett said. “It’s amazing how full it has been. I don’t think because of this giveaway. I think it is a nice side thing, that they may get 25 bucks.”
“The point a few people have made is that it is really a luxury service,” Mullett continued. Mullett cited the lot as a nice option compared to driving around for a long time and finding a spot that requires a lot of walking in order to get to campus.
“You can drive in, sit in your warm car, wait for the warm bus which arrives always within 10 minutes, and it drops you off at your building,” explained Mullett.
A shuttle from the Marginal Way lot arrives every 10 minutes and drops students off at a number of locations around campus.
“It’s kinda neat, especially in these times when it is two degrees out in the morning, that you don’t have to freeze,” said Mullett.
Soon the giveaway will be extended to the Sam’s Club lot as well. The prizes will vary depending on which departments are willing to donate goods. Next week, Mullett said he would like to split the $25 into two prizes by perhaps giving away $15 in dining bucks and $10 in computer lab printing. The contest encourages people to use the lots, but there are still some problems with the satellite lot system.
“We are trying to find a way to help people with their stuff. It is difficult to carry books for four classes all day. We are thinking of maybe adding lockers or cubbyholes,” Mullett said.
Overall Mullett is pleased with the program. “It has been an interesting program. We have gotten a lot of good feedback from people over the USM web server who are excited that we are promoting Marginal Way. It is a good option,” explained Mullett.
The satellite lots are not the only places students should know about according to Mullett. There is a carpool lot that only allows cars with two or more people before 9:30 a.m. on weekdays. The contest will run throughout the construction of the parking garage until its completion much later this year.
For more information about Sam’s Club and Marginal Way lots, visit http://www.usm.maine.edu/commuter and http://www.usm.maine.edu/parking
Andrew Dolby can be contacted at [email protected]