Here's where Ozarks Technical Community College plans to add more parking
For the third time in five years, Ozarks Technical Community College is adding parking.
The OTC Board of Trustees will be asked Wednesday to approve the latest project — on the northwest corner of Pythian Street and Hampton Avenue — to add 201 spaces.
Specifically, the board will be asked to approve a $2.2 million project, which includes awarding a construction contract to Springfield-based DeWitt & Associates in the amount of $1.85 million.
It was the lowest of the five bids submitted. The others ranged from $2 million to $2.9 million.
Currently, the Springfield campus has approximately 2,500 parking spots. They typically turn over about four times a day for a daily capacity of 10,000 vehicles.
OTC spokesman Mark Miller said the lot will tie into existing parking located at the former Mount Carmel United Methodist Church property, which the college was expected to close on Tuesday. That purchase was approved in September.
He said the college has been adding parking in recent years to make up for surface lots needed for the construction of the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which opened in August 2022.
The new lot on the north side of the campus was planned to accommodate parking needs for the new Workforce and Student Success building the college hopes to break ground on in 2024.
OTC has been buying homes on the north edge of the campus, which are now vacant and will be torn down to make way for the parking lot.
Work on the parking lot will start in early 2024 and be available for use by the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Miller said the parking lot is part of OTC's master plan and the spaces will be available as overflow use for residents using the historic Silver Springs Park.
The proposed project will tie into a pedestrian corridor with a defined crosswalk and flashing beacon pedestrian signal at the intersection of Pythian and Hampton.
He said the creation of a quad with pedestrian paths to access OTC buildings will give the space more of a "campus feel," but enhanced safety and increased parking access were the main factors. There will be LED lighting, landscaping, security surveillance cameras and more.
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The parking lot will have a brick retaining wall with black metal fencing. A flashing beacon signal will also be installed to show students, staff and visitors where to cross.
"If the lot is just wide open, people can just cross wherever," Miller said. "The fencing is aesthetic, it looks nice and there is some security there, but it also to guide people to the safe crossing areas."
The college has added lighting along Hampton Avenue, north and south of Central Street, which is largely closed to through traffic along the north edge of the campus.
"The lighting will continue all the way to Silver Springs Park," he said.
The project will be paid for with funds from the 2021 bond issue. The OTC Board of Trustees meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Information Commons building.
Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: OTC to add 201 parking spots on north side of Springfield campus
