January 30 2014

Page 1

VOLUME 103, ISSUE 50

www.UniversityStar.com

January 30, 2014

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

GO TIME Texas State @ Western Kentucky

Coach Danny Kaspar’s first team at Texas State will defend the eighth and final spot in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against the Hilltoppers Saturday.

SO

AL

LL BA ET SK D BA FIEL N’S & ME RACK T

WO

ON

Page B1

B1 Madelynne Scales | Star File Photo

TRANSPORTATION

Officials propose changes to parking system to alleviate all-zone congestion By Kelsey Bradshaw News Reporter

S

everal changes may be made to the parking system at Texas State to prevent students who live on campus from purchasing perimeter parking permits, which officials say has created difficulties for commuter students. During a presentation to the Faculty Senate Wednesday, Nancy Nusbaum, interim director of Transportation Services, said many residential students have purchased cheaper $115 purple perimeter passes as opposed to $485 green residential permits. This has left 500 to 600 residential parking spots empty and the commuter lots full. Parking Services administrators have made several recommendations to the permit system at Texas State to help alleviate this issue, among others, Nusbaum told faculty senators.

PROPOSED CHANGES Residential students would no longer have the option to purchase perimeter permits. Green residential permits would decrease in price from $485 to $435. Silver Bobcat Village permits would decrease in price from $265 to $235. Residential students parking in all-zone lots intended for purple perimeter passes are not using their cars every day, forcing commuters to circle the lots to find a spot, Nusbaum said. A proposed “storage permit” would allow residential students who do not use their vehicles daily to park at the back of the Mill

CITY

Council extends home improvement incentive program

By Maggie Montes News Reporter

Austin Humphreys | Star File Photo Street lot. The storage permits would be priced at $115, Nusbaum said. Students who purchase the storage permits would be able to take the Bobcat Village tram to get to campus from the Mill Street lot. After 5 p.m. each Friday, students with storage permits would be allowed to move their cars to their dorms and park anywhere in any zone for the weekend. In addition, cars with storage permits would have to relocate from the Mill Street lot for home football games. Additionally, residential students would no longer have the option to purchase perimeter permits. However, green residential permit prices could decrease from $485 to $435 pending approval, Nusbaum said. “The residential students will no longer be able to buy a perimeter permit to protect our commuter students, but we wanted to give them an option,” Nusbaum said. Students who live at Bobcat Village are also expected to see changes to their parking permits in the fall, Nusbaum said. There are 600 total spaces avail-

able around the complex, but only 445 Bobcat Village permits were purchased this school year, as many students purchased perimeter passes instead, Nusbaum said. The Bobcat Village permit price is proposed to decrease from $265 to $235, though Bobcat Village residents will not be allowed to purchase a perimeter permit, Nusbaum said. “The reason is because they essentially have a reserved space,” Nusbaum said. Susan Weill, journalism and mass communication senator, asked whether it would be better to lower all of the parking permit rates altogether. If all the parking permits were able to be lowered, almost 17,000 permits would have to be sold for under $100 for parking services to make the same profit they are bringing in currently, Nusbaum said. Faculty senators will present the proposed recommendations for the parking permit program to the Associate Student Government and the Residence Hall Association. President’s Cabinet administrators will give final approval for the plan.

San Marcos home and business owners looking to make improvements to their properties will continue to be able to receive an exemption on permits after city councilmembers voted to extend an incentive program last month. San Marcos city councilmembers voted to extend the Residential Home Improvement Incentive Program for homeowners through the 2014 calendar year during their Dec. 7 meeting. Before the program was first established in June 2011, home and business owners were required to apply and pay for a permit before making improvements on their residents or storefronts. Over the past few years, the incentive program has enabled home and business owners the ability to receive the permits without having to pay a fee.

Danielle Charles | Staff Photographer McCoy’s Building Supply is participating in an incentive program that waives permit fees for homeowners or buisinesses looking to make improvements to property locations. By renewing this program, the city hopes to continuously encourage homeowners to improve their properties, said Kristy Stark, assistant director of planning development services for San Marcos. The program has had great success, with about 50 and 60 homeowners utilizing it in the past year, Stark said. From March to December 2012, 21 homeowners joined the program, which would have brought in $2,361 in permit fees. During January through November 2013, 52 homeowners participated and were exempted from

See IMPROVEMENT, Page 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.