By Mark Lorentz
If you think Conestoga’s parking fees are too high, you can save money by parking across the street in the Mango King Plaza, just be aware they are starting to ticket cars.
You can buy a $245 semi-annual pass at Conestoga for the winter term or you can park across the street for $240 for the rest of the year (November to May). You can also pay $140 for three months or $50 for a month. It is the same walking distance as those students who live in residence, and you can always catch the Conestoga Students Inc.’s shuttle bus if you so choose.
“I think that parking is way overpriced here, sometimes parking in the orange parking lot seems likes just as far as a walk from res, so I’d be willing to park over there to save money,” said Tracy Ferguson, a second-year student in the public relations program.
Up until this year, the tenants at 2480 Homer Watson Blvd. didn’t need to hire private security for parking control. However, this year the students who were parking illegally started to become a major headache for business owners, with a large number of customers complaining about the lack of parking.
John Roche owns a private security company and is now in charge of issuing permits and maintaining parking rules at the plaza.
“Last week there were 102 cars parked over here (a day),” he said. “The students try to blend in by parking in the front, which is actually the worst place possible, as it takes away the ideal spots from actual customers and patients.”
Roche said the tenants have agreed to set aside 60 parking permits for students to purchase on a first-come, first- serve basis, with a potential for more permits to be issued at a later date. The parking spots will be marked in white, and will be located along the back, near the residence and also beside Pino’s pizza.
Comparing what Conestoga charges to the lot across the street, students can save a considerable amount of money if they’re willing to walk an extra five or so minutes to class.
“Ya, I know the school’s parking fees are pretty high, they gouge you over there. We believe we keep it reasonable,” Roche said.
Conestoga Security and Parking Services was unavailable for comment.
At the Mango King site, spots are limited and cars will be ticketed if a permit isn’t displayed on the windshield starting today.
For more information on the parking fees and how to obtain a permit, contact John Roche at 647-409-6861.
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