It’s no secret that student parking at NASH has been mediocre for many years.  Even when coveted parking spots in Main aren’t covered in snow, by 7:15 few spaces remain open to the drivers trying to get to class by the bell. Complicating matters is that, with each passing year, more students are purchasing parking passes.

“It’s just not fair that people who wake up early get the better parking spots,” senior Robert Loblaw said.

In response to the concern, the Principal’s Advisory Committee recently passed a measure that may prove to be the most exciting change in store for the 2018-19 school year — a multi-level parking garage.

“We recognize that the school’s infrastructure could soon fail to accommodate the influx of cars,” NASH Principal Dr. Kreider said.  “Our goal is to provide future students with the proper vehicular storage they pay for.”

Construction is set to start at the beginning of summer and is to be completed by fall 2018. The tentative plans include a multi-level cement structure to add an additional 200 parking spaces to the existing parking lots. The funding for the garage was awarded to North Allegheny through a private grant from the Bartlet-Hoynes Foundation for Progress in Public Education.

However, while the new parking garage will not impact the District’s budget, the project will come at the cost of a notable school athletic program.  After weighing options, the Advisory Committee resolved to construct the garage on the plot of land south of the side parking lot where the tennis courts currently reside.

“It’s not as if we can put the structure in the field in front of the school,” Kreider explained. “The aesthetic of our building is a reflection of our values: discipline, hard work, commitment.”

Some are calling the choice of location controversial, considering the importance of the tennis courts to NA athletics.

“I don’t see why a decorated program like NA Tennis, which has won multiple state championships, needs to lose its facility so that more teenagers can drive themselves to school,” said a district parent who asked to remain anonymous.

The Principal’s Advisory Committee, however, explained that the compromise was necessary in order to present the students with an amenity that will further boost NASH’s reputation as one of the country’s best public high schools.  They added that new tennis courts may be constructed next the field adjacent to the baseball and softball complex, a move that will relocate recreational soccer practices and games to the field in front of NASH.

While the plans for the parking structure are still in the preliminary stages, some important choices have been made. The average size of the garage’s parking spaces is going to be 1.675 times larger than the spots in the regular lots in order to accommodate new student drivers not yet accustomed to parking in tight spaces.

Each level of the garage will be organized according to the price of the new parking passes issued by the District. Passes for the first floor of the garage will be reserved for juniors and will be available at $150. Passes for the second floor will be sold only to senior students at a price of $50. A spot on the third floor will be available to both juniors and seniors as part of a premium package for $200, which may include valet services and access to exclusive events after school at the garage’s rooftop cafe.

“We’re still sorting out the details, and we’re asking that everyone remain patient,” Kreider said. “We believe that the grant will cover all expenses, including the valets and cafe.”

As the Council continues to work on implementing new changes, Kreider stresses that student input is key.  If there’s something at NASH you want to see changed, contact the principal’s advisers at https://tinyurl.com/2fcpre6.