01/15/16
By Sophia Rose Young
University Relations and Marketing
HAYS, Kan. -- With construction projects looming over the Fort Hays State University campus, parking will become scarce, but students will be able to park at Gross Memorial Coliseum and take a new shuttle service.

The service will begin Sunday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 18, as students move back into the residence halls. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, the shuttles will begin full route.

The shuttle service will stop at eight different locations around campus, marked by red and white "No Parking Bus Stop" signs, and will wait at each stop for one minute to allow students to load and unload.

Stop 1: Gate 2 of Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Stop 2: Mailboxes at the corner of Dwight and Lyman.
Stop 3: Stadium Place Apartments on Lewis Drive.
Stop 4: Across the street from Heather Hall, at the corner of Dwight and Custer.
Stop 5: In front of McMindes Hall, at the corner of Agnew Lane and Custer Drive.
Stop 6: Across the street from Forsyth Library.
Stop 7: At the bronze Tiger in front of the Memorial Union.
Stop 8: By the fountain in front of Picken Hall.

Two shuttles are scheduled to run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. One shuttle will run from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Each shuttle takes approximately 25 minutes to run the full route.

"The goal is to have a shuttle at each stop every 10 to 12 minutes during classes," said Jim Schreiber, director of grounds, custodial and other services.

Each shuttle holds 12 people and two wheelchairs. A decision has not been reached on whether to allow passengers to stand once the 12 seats fill up.

"We know that this will cause significant concerns for our residents, and parking will be more challenging," said Rebecca Peterson, director of residential life. "We plan on keeping in regular communication about the shuttle service and other pertinent information about this process."

Students are encouraged to park at the coliseum and take the shuttle back to campus, since construction will take up a significant amount of parking near Wiest Hall and Wooster Place.

An app that students can download to check where the buses are on the route is scheduled to release at the end of this month.

While the construction will be an inconvenience, "The new residence halls are going to benefit students in the long run," said Peterson.

Groundbreaking for Greek housing near Lewis Field Stadium is set for April, and construction has already started on Dane G. Hansen Scholarship Hall, scheduled to open this fall. A replacement Wiest Hall is scheduled to open in fall 2017.

Students can view the shuttle service schedule and map on the Residential Life website, www.fhsu.edu/reslife/Shuttle-Information/.