Employees of Georgetown’s contracted companies, including Marriot and Follett, must pay daily fees to park in the under-utilized Southwest Quad Garage, which add up to considerably more per month than the monthly permits available for University faculty and staff.
“If you can show your GoCard and pay $5 per day, I’ll be happy with that. Twelve hurts,” said Donte, a purchase agent at Leo O’Donovan Dining Hall who declined to give his last name.
contracted employees who must pay the daily rate.
Working five days a week and four full weeks a month at $12 per day comes to $224 per month. A monthly spot in one of the campus lots costs $124 for faculty and staff members making less than $90,000 per year and about $135 for those making over that amount.
Gloria Evans, who also works at Leo’s, would prefer to drive to work every day, but says parking is too costly, so sometimes she takes the GUTS bus.
“When I asked for a parking pass to pay bi-weekly, they told me [the garage] was filled up,” Donte said.
“It’s ridiculous because we all work here. I was coming Metro but there ain’t no use going Metro if I’m paying car insurance.”
A limited number of spaces are allotted for managers of contracted companies, according to an e-mail from Karen Frank, the Vice President of Facilities and Housing.
The total number of on-campus parking spaces that the University can provide is limited by the Board of Zoning Adjustment, Frank wrote.
This number is capped at 4,080 for the Southwest Quad garage and other University-owned lots.
Frank added that employees who work for University-contracted companies are encouraged to use public transportation to get to campus.
“The only time I’ve seen every last space taken in here is during graduation or NSO weekend. Other than that, I’ve never seen every last space taken,” Donte said.
Maurice Sykes, a parking attendant at the Southwest Quad garage, agreed, saying that there are always empty spots available, even during weekday working hours.
University employees are forced to find other solutions to the parking problem.
Some park on the street, often in the metered spots on Prospect Street, outside the library. On breaks, they load the meter up with quarters.
