By Andrew Tow
Getting off the bus, sophomore Jakob Patterson heads towards the ground level entrance of the school because the front entrance has been blocked off.
New construction leaves many without a parking spot
The construction also affects bus drivers who have had to change their pick up and drop off locations
September 24, 2019
With a 6A competition gym and theater being built, many parking spots are no longer available and many busing routes have been changed to deal with the construction. This has caused many students to rethink how they get to and from school and many bus drivers to change their drop-off and pick-up locations.
For sophomore Addisen Chezem, who did not receive a parking pass, the lack of parking spots has been a huge inconvenience for her morning cheer practices.
“[The construction has] affected me mostly for morning practices because I feel bad having my parents or other people taking me once a week,” Chezem said. “I have to leave my house by 5:45 and that’s been really hard for the people taking me.”
In addition to affecting her morning routine, Chezem feels the construction has made it harder for her to get home quickly after school.
“I have been parking … [at my] friends whose house backs up to school … but I still have to walk,” Chezem said. “It’s kind of difficult when I have things that I need to get out quickly for … work and it takes away some time that I could have [had].”
Although many are facing the problem of not being able to drive, bus driver Scott Schau is adjusting to new drop off and pick up locations.
“Until they’re done [with construction], loading into Mill Valley has to be done on the south side of Mill Valley instead of the front bus route,” Schau said. “That is tentatively scheduled to end by the end of October.”
While Schau manages the temporary adjustment, it has made getting in and out of the school more difficult.
“[Construction] makes it harder to get into the school in the mornings because we have to wait at the stoplight … [and] watch for all the pedestrians in the crosswalks and all the other traffic,” Schau said. “We have to wait longer to get pulled in with all of the other traffic as opposed to pulling into the circle out front.”
Although Chezem does not get to park at the school, she still feels the construction is important for the school.
“I think it will be worth it, Chezem said. “The new gym will be nice because it gets really crowded in [the main gym] during games, and I think we needed to have a bigger gym for the size of our school.”