It's your choice
New parking system offers options
Parking is probably the first thing on an employee's mind when pulling into work each day at the Health Science Center. It is, after all, the first order of business before the workday begins.
Some 4,200 parking spaces serve the more than 7,000 faculty, staff and students at the Health Science Center campuses. Those parking spaces
are assigned to employees and students based on classification. But in the next few months, with the addition of two parking garages, the Medical
Drive expansion, and a plan which allows employees to choose their own parking areas, parking availability at the Health Science Center will improve.
To accommodate new spaces and provide additional choices and flexibility to employees, the Health Science Center's Parking and Traffic
Safety Committee evaluated various factors concerning the parking facilitiesfrom fees to security. Committee members and university officials also
wanted to open up the process, allowing employees to choose their own parking preferences instead of assigning spots based on job classification.
The new parking plan allows faculty, staff and students to purchase a permit for either a reserved or non-reserved space in any one of the
five different parking zones offered. Anyone can buy into a zone, which is priced according to proximity to the buildings. Fees for reserved parking
spaces will be higher than non-reserved space fees. Reserved spaces will
be assigned, by specific slot, to only one person.
The process also allows faculty and staff to take advantage of the monthly payroll deduction plan to pay for their parking. Benefits of this
plan include:
- Sign-up for the payroll deduction plan can be done by mail (no waiting in line)
- Monthly deduction does not require a large initial cost for permits
- The payroll deduction option can save employees money in the long run because the money used for parking expenses can be paid for by
dollars which are not subject to federal income tax.
When the two parking garages open at the Health Science Center in October, they will provide an additional 701 vehicle spaces, many of
them covered and all of them adjacent to campus buildings. A percentage of the parking spaces available on campus will be set aside for those
purchasing reserved parking spots. The majority of parking spaces in the two garage areas will be reserved, with rooftop parking available for those
purchasing non-reserved spots in the garage.
Parking will be available at the new Lot 17 on Medical Drive near the Allied Health/Research Building which provides an additional 402
spaces. This lot has been designated as Zones 4 and 5 parking. A
shuttle bus will run from that parking area to the main Health Science
Center buildings--door-to-door service at a less expensive site, especially beneficial in inclement weather.
Health Science Center employees will soon receive a parking permit application form from University Police, which can be mailed in to
avoid registration lines. The application form can also be downloaded
from the University
Police Web site. Mail-in registration takes place from July 26 - Aug. 25.
For those who do not pre-select by mail, registration may be completed
in person between September 7 and September 17.
(See calendar for dates and locations.)
Frequently asked questions
Q. What if I am on vacation or away from San Antonio during the
registration periods?
A. You will be able to complete the Parking Permit Application and submit it via U.S. mail before registration day. All such completed
applications will be processed as if you were in line on registration day. You may download the application from the University Police Web page.
Q. When employees purchase a reserved space, will there be a specific parking space reserved or will there be a reserved section of parking
slots with a number of spaces from which to choose?
A. Specific parking spaces will be assigned to each individual.
Q. Will there be shuttle service to the 7703 Floyd Curl campus
for parking in Zone 5?
A. Absolutely, we will be continuing the shuttle between the Allied Health/Research Building at 8403 Floyd Curl Drive and the buildings at
7703 Floyd Curl Drive.
Q. What happens if an employee just recently purchased or
renewed his or her permit? Will the employee be reimbursed when the
new parking structure takes effect?
A. Yes, the employee's November paycheck (since the plan will be effective Oct. 1) will include a reimbursement for unused parking fees under
the old system. The assessment of the monthly parking charge will begin that same month.
Q. If an employee has purchased a non-reserved spot in Zone 2
and finds that there are no more spaces in Zone 2 when he arrives to
work, will he be able to park in another zone?
A. Employees may park in any other Zone 2 lot. If there are no more spaces in the Zone 2 lots, an employee can park in a Zone 3 or Zone 4 lot.
Q. If I currently have an assigned parking space, will I be able to
keep that space under the new system?
A. Employees who now have reserved spaces will have first refusal of those spaces. A letter will be sent out in August to faculty and staff
members who hold reserved parking spaces, giving them the opportunity of first refusal of their current space.
Q. How will the spaces in the garage be allocated?
A. The garage spaces will be reserved with the exception of the rooftop parking spaces.
Q. What will happen to parking fee proceeds?
A. The fees will be used for parking operations, including maintenance,
security, shuttle service and to pay the debt on the facility.
Q. Will the university take into consideration where an employee
works when assigning a reserved spot?
A. That is the employee's choice. The employee will select the
reserved lot where he or she wants to park.
Q. Can everyone participate in payroll deduction?
A. All regular employees of the Health Science Center may participate in payroll deduction.
Q. If I pay extra for a reserved space, will I be assured the slot
is mine, and mine alone, 24 hours a day?
A. Yes. Reserved spaces are individually assigned.
For more information, contact
University Police at 567-PARK (7275).
How to arrange for your new parking permit:
Now is the time to begin making your decision about where you will park on the main campus of the Health Science Center.
There are two ways you can apply for a new parking permit: in person on registration days or by mail.
You will receive a "Parking Permit Application" form from University Police. You will also be able to download and print out the form from
the University Police Web page. This is the same form that will be used on registration days. It allows you to request a first and second choice. If you complete the form and submit it
promptly (during the window of opportunity specified in the calendar),
you can avoid the lines on registration day. If your form is received
in time, your completed and mailed-in application will be processed on the first possible day of normal registration.
Registration for a new parking permit generally will be on a first-come, first-served basis. When mailed applications are received, they will be
time-and date-stamped and processed accordingly. If your work schedule or situation prevent your signing up in person, it is in your best interest to complete
the "Parking Permit Application" form early and mail it to University Police. This way, your application will be processed as if you were in a registration
line on registration day.
For as long as there are unsold spaces in the zone that you request as first choice, you will get your first choice. Only if all spaces are sold out in the zone you identify as first choice will your second choice
be the one that is processed. You will pay only as much money as the permit that you receive costs. If your second choice costs more than your
first choice, you will be contacted to pay the difference before you receive a parking permit for
your second choice. If your
second choice costs less than
your first choice, you will be refunded the difference.
Payment by mail or in person on registration days can be done for the annual rate by check or credit card.
If you pay the annual rate in cash, you will need to register in person. You can pay for your parking permit by payroll deduction and can sign
up for this choice on the "Parking Permit Application" form
that you mail in or complete on registration day.
Example: Jane Doe chooses to buy a Zone 5 permit to take advantage of door-to-door shuttle service. She checks the payroll deduction box on
the application form. Her pre-tax monthly payment of $ 4.00 will be
deducted automatically from her paycheck. Parking for her amounts to
20 cents per workday.
Calendar for Parking Registration
The parking permit registration schedule has been revised. This revision is necessary due to problems of delivery of the permits by the vendor. We apologize to the campus community for this change in dates, times and locations. The new schedule is as follows:
-
Tuesday, September 7
Deans, Directors, Department Heads - Auditorium Foyer, 8 am-5 pm
- Wednesday, September 8
Employees with 20 or more years of service - Auditorium Foyer, 8 am-5 pm
- Thursday, September 9
Employees with 15 or more years of service - Auditorium Foyer, 8 am-5 pm
- Friday, September 10
Employees with 10 or more years of service - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
- Monday, September 13
Employees with 5 or more years of service - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
- Tuesday, September 14
Employees with less than 5 years of service - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
- Wednesday, September 15
Students: 3rd and 4th years; any employee - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
- Thursday, September 16
Students: 1st and 2nd years; any employee - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
- Friday, September 17
Anyone who has not registered - Police Department, 8 am-5 pm
Please note that all outstanding parking citations must be paid prior to the purchase of a new parking permit. This will include the actual citation fine and any late fees that have accumulated. If you have questions concerning registration please call 567-PARK.
Parking Permit Registration Form is found
on the Web.
A note of appreciation
Change is never easy whether it is a new curriculum in one of our schools, a new regulation from the Capitol or new
parking arrangements.
Yet, these are the kinds of challenges we face in this era of growth of Health Science Center people and programs.
Fortunately, we have dedicated members of our faculty and staff who work hard to deal with these changes in considerate and
constructive ways.
We want to thank the many faculty and staff, who, over the past ten years, identified the need for new facilities and helped us
make them available to all of us.
It wasn't an easy task and we're grateful to you for your efforts on
behalf of our campus community.
Anthony A. Ferrara
Vice President for Administration and Business Affairs
Robert K. Bratten
Chief of Police, University Police
Richard F. Ludueña, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Biochemistry
Chair, Parking & Traffic Safety Committee
Eugene A. Sprague, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Radiology
Immediate Past Chair, Parking & Traffic Safety Committee
Chair, Parking Facilities Committee
Index of issues
THE NEWS is published Fridays by the Office of Public Affairs for faculty and staff of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Vice President for University Relations.....Judy Petty Wolf
Executive Director of Development & Public Affairs.....Dr. Charles Rodriguez
Editor.....Will Sansom
Writers.....Myong Covert, Catherine Duncan, Heather Feldman, Jennifer Lorenzo
Photographers.....Jeff Anderson, Lee Bennack, Lester Rosebrock
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Web Editor.....Joanne Shaw
Production.....Printing Services
Office of Public Affairs, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive,
San Antonio, Texas 78284-7768
(210) 567-2570
