SAN MARCOS, CA \u2015 The first parking structure at Palomar College will open to students on the first day of the spring semester, following a grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting on Wednesday, Jan. 24.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you go to colleges across the country, what\u2019s the number one problem? Parking,\u201d said Palomar College President Dr. Joi Lin Blake. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve done today is make Palomar College more accessible for our students, faculty and staff. For our first parking structure, it\u2019s amazing. We\u2019ve gone above and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Golf](\"https:\/\/www.palomar.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/50\/2018\/01\/Parking-garage-grand-opening-08-1024x681.jpg\")
Guests tour the new parking structure at Palomar College following the grand opening ceremony on Jan. 24. Photos by Tom Pfingsten.<\/p><\/div>\n
Designed to address the needs of current and future students, the five-story parking structure is over 499,000 square feet, with 1,616 parking spaces, including 28 accessible and six van spaces.<\/p>\n
The building is also equipped with a number of high-tech features, including license plate readers, LED lights, and electronic signage at each entry identifying the number of spaces available on each floor.<\/p>\n
The structure features a design with no interior walls to provide safety-enhancing sight lines; additional safety features include emergency phones and security cameras. There are three different entries\/exits on three different floors to speed traffic in and out of the structure.\u00a0 The design was built into the slope to reduce the building\u2019s north-side visibility.<\/p>\n
Chris Hopp, president of the Associated Student Government and the district\u2019s Student Trustee, said that parking availability has always been a top priority for students, and thanked the college for building the structure.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo students, this means not missing classes,\u201d said Hopp. \u201cThis means not having to drive around the parking lot looking for that last spot. It means having the peace of mind that you\u2019re going to get to class on time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Media contacts:<\/p>\n
Laura Gropen, Public Affairs, lgropen@palomar.edu, 760-744-1150 x2152
\nTom Pfingsten, Public Affairs, tpfingsten@palomar.edu, 760-744-1150 x2960<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"