Circus, Construction Cut Parking Spots

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

Parking at Mason’s Fairfax campus will become a little more sparse in the next few weeks, according to Parking Services Director Josh Cantor.

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Approximately 230 parking spaces in Lot A are expected to close this Friday at 5 p.m., and will remain closed through April 14, for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. These spaces are positioned in the middle rows from Nottoway towards the Patriot Center, Cantor said.

“Normally once the circus comes in they set up their tents and then their fences so things get re-positioned a bit,” Cantor said.

Signs will designate the closed areas, and any vehicles left in these areas will be ticketed and towed at the owner’s expense, according to a campus-wide e-mail Parking Services sent out on March 23.

“In the past a part of Lot K would be taken [by the circus],” Cantor said. “This year they hope to only need Lot K next Monday [March 31] and then after that have it free for parking - that's about 150-200 spaces less they'll use.”

Lot E will be permanently closed as of Sunday, March 30, at 5:00 p.m. to make way for the construction of the Housing VIIC project. This resident complex, scheduled to open in Fall 2010, is expected to house up to 600 students.

Parking Services suggests that students arriving on campus after 10 a.m., particularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays, head directly to the Field House parking lots M, O, and P. If the Field House lots become full, vehicles will be directed to park along Rapidan River Lane (next to the intramural fields) and in the West Campus Lot, which currently has 700 available spaces.

In addition, students with general lot parking permits can park in Lot G starting at 4:00 p.m. from March 31-April 14, two hours earlier than usual. Lot H is also available to general lot permit holders from 6:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. on weekdays.

Free shuttle service is provided from the Field House to the CUE bus stop on the main campus, with the Express providing service about every 10 minutes. An additional Field House Express shuttle has been added while the circus is at the Patriot Center. A shuttle also runs from the West Campus to the Field House and East Campus every 20 minutes.