Williston State Focuses on Parking and the Customer Experience During Construction
Posted: Aug 29 2013
August 29, 2013
For Immediate release
For more information, contact Kayla McKeil at 701.774.4222
Williston State focuses on parking and the customer experience during construction
WILLISTON, N.D. - "Pardon our construction": these words can illicit curiosity, excitement, and often frustration. To avoid the latter of the three, Williston State - who is has been involved in several construction projects over the last few years - has been diligently focused on the customer experience.
"When you've had one main entrance to campus for the last 50 years, it can create some serious confusion and frustration when that entrance is inaccessible," said Kayla McKeil, Director for Marketing at WSC.
The current renovation of the front drive will permanently do away with mass parking in that area and bring about a student quad. With this change, WSC is faced with the issue of identifying and directing students and visitors to new parking lots as well as different entrances.
To mitigate issues that may arise, WSC has placed signage and banners in several locations along University Avenue and leading into campus. All traffic entering campus is being directed onto Clark Street, which takes the driver to parking on the north side of Stevens Hall.
"Visitors and students will find parking in two different lots with access to over 300 spots," said McKeil. "We've also placed sign kiosks inside every entrance to direct visitors to main locations on campus."
In the case of parking for athletic events, game attendees will be asked to park in these same lots. The doors on the north side of Stevens Hall, just outside of Donn Skadeland Gym, will be open as usual and accessible from the north lots. The main doors to The Well will also remain open and will be accessible to pedestrian traffic.
"As of now, we will continue to take tickets at the front of The Well," said Rita Ann Deichert, Athletic Coordinator for WSC. "However, if this doesn't seem to meet the needs of our visitors, we'll find a solution and adapt."
It should also be noted that there are several parking spots available throughout campus streets like Lewis and Clark Street and that parking is legal on University Avenue as well.
Parking for on-campus students has also been identified and is located in the lot south and east of Frontier Hall. These lots have been marked with signage and students living on campus - who own a vehicle - have been issued a parking pass.
WSC is currently discussing plans for a future parking lot to be located near Frontier Hall which would potentially contain 50-100 parking stalls. A date has not been set for when this project may take place. The school will also continue to survey and assess parking needs for all necessary groups as the campus continues to grow and change.
"Serving our students, as well as visitors, is the most important thing we do here. We know that working around construction can be difficult," states McKeil, "but in the end, we know we will be able to deliver a better experience to our audience with the changes that were made."
Construction on the front drive is expected to be completed in mid-October.
For more information regarding parking, please contact Kayla McKeil at 701.774.4222 or kayla.mckeil@willistonstate.edu. For other information regarding Williston State, visit willistonstate.edu, call 1.888.863.9455, or stop by 1410 University Avenue, Williston, ND.