Parking update

District buys property for parking lot expansion

Ladue School Board purchases house near student lot for additional parking

CINDY WANG

sta writer | @cindy_wang_123

Despite this, some students are still ambivalent about the planned expansion. They believe that an expansion of the lot could exacerbate some of the problems that already

The Ladue School District purchased a private prop- exist within the current system. erty on the edge of the north lot of the high school “I don’t really like that idea,” junior Lilly Tung said. “I think Aug. 17, which the district plans to use as an expan- it would get way too crowded, and spots could get further sion of the current student lot. The expansion would add and further from the building.” approximately 60-80 parking spaces to a parking lot that However, the district still does not have a clear timeis consistently in high demand from students. Once the new stadium is complete, there could be an even higher demand for parking. The opportunity to expand the school’s parking lot first came when the property located on 1039 Warson Road, directly to the right of Now, knowing that the parking lot is being expanded, I feel like I’ll have a better opportunity of “ table for when the expansion will take place. Currently, the city is renovating an antiquated sewer line that stretches from Tilles Park into St. Louis City. They have completed a majority of the project on both sides and are now heading toward the high school for the final phases of the construction project. the school’s already existing north lot, receiving a parking spot. “The [Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer opened for sale earlier this year. District] has to work through whether the “Opportunities like this don’t come [sewer] line itself is going to be bored, [so] up often, where you have somebody that is right next to they’re essentially going to drill underneath the ground, or a school that wants to sell,” Principal Brad Gri th said. “I’m if it will be open-trenched,” Gri th said. glad that the school board made this decision, which is a According to Gri th, if the Metropolitan Sewer District very good long-term decision for the school.” needs to tear apart the north lot to rebuild the sewer, the Along with increasing the number of available parking district would prefer not to invest in expanding the parking spaces, the district also plans to improve the landscaping lot only to rip it up for the sewer project and reconstruct around the campus. For freshman Karina Dravina, an in- it afterward. Due to this uncertainty, the timeline for the crease in student parking is necessary because she feels the expansion still remains unclear. current lot is inadequate. “We have to work with MSD, work with the city [and] “I feel that a parking lot expansion is needed in order work with all the various entities to ensure that our stufor things to run smoothly,” Dravina said. “Now, knowing dents remain safe during this phase of the project and that that the parking lot is being expanded, I feel like I’ll have a it’s completed in the least disruptive manner for the operabetter opportunity of receiving a parking spot.” tions of the school and our students,” Gri th said. 11.27.2018 news10