Adams County National Bank, Cumberland Township, Conewago Enterprises, and Gettysburg Address Partnership have all played key roles in the project. Adams County National Bank agreed to lease the land to Larry Boltansky of Gettysburg Address Partnership, landlord for the HACC-Gettysburg campus. Conewago Enterprises developed the materials and installation process for the pervious concrete product, designed to absorb stormwater so that it doesn't create runoff into nearby streams. Cumberland Township provided consultation to ensure that the parking plans are in compliance with zoning and subdivision ordinances.
"The campus has experienced record enrollments and a shortage of parking spaces during peak class times," said Jennifer Weaver, dean at the Gettysburg Campus. "For the first several weeks of our spring 2004 semester, when enrollments exceeded 1200 students, many of our students were asked to use satellite parking about a half-mile away from campus and had to be bussed to the campus. For this fall, we have enrolled more than 1400 students."
As a community college, HACC's open enrollment policy ensures that any student with a high school diploma or GED can enroll in classes. "All of our students commute," said Weaver, "so it is imperative that we provide parking for our students. We also need to maintain ample parking space for use by adjoining businesses, as well as for visitors to our campus during special events."
Bill Hill of William F. Hill & Associates, Inc., whose firm designed the parking lot, described this as an environmentally sound project. "Calculations predict that there should be less storm water runoff from this parking surface than from the previous lawn and underlying soil. In addition, a filtration system cleans storm water as it passes through filters which are an integral part of the parking lot design."
In addition to meeting the current need for parking space, the new lot will serve as a pilot Best Management Practice (BMP) demonstration site for the porous parking surface. The lot will be used for observation and study by HACC's environmental science classes, other area students, municipal officials, environmental planners, and members of the community.
The new parking lot provides 89 additional parking spaces and is approved for use as an overflow lot by HACC. It will be closed at times when sufficient parking is available in the regular lots.