After a delay of several weeks, the GLHS parking lot construction began in early December, and phase two will be ready to start sometime during the holiday break. The construction itself is being done to create a new band room, with the old band room being used as a choir room, and the old choir room used as storage space.

While this construction will benefit students in the long run, many students feel upset about it. 26% of students polled said they would rather have everything stay the same than have construction done on it at all and another 48% found it inconvenient. Students voiced several complaints about the new, albeit temporary, changes, with several mentioning having to arrive early.

“As a student that plays an instrument, I already have had to make the choice to show up to school very early to get a parking spot in the band lot. I could not imagine walking a far distance with my instrument every day in the winter months,” One band student said.

Several students suggested that the construction start in the summer when school is out rather than winter, but the reason the parking lot construction is starting in the middle of the school year is that the construction will take a full calendar year to complete. This means that seniors dealing with the parking situation won’t be here to see it’s benefits.

“We’re anticipating a November end right now,” Dr. Wright said on the 2022 end date.

Students not only complained about having to arrive earlier in the morning but also about leaving for lunch. The combination of having to drive slower in winter road conditions and having to walk farther away from the school could lead to more students being late.

“At times I’ll have a spot then leave for lunch and someone took my spot and now I have to park far away and possibly be late,” said a student who finds the construction inconvenient.

“The students that can drive won’t have enough time to get to and from lunch when they have to park farther away and are expected to be on time to class,” said another, “They barely have time as it is to get food and actually eat it.”

While several students strongly dislike the construction, some are in support of the new band room, as it gives more space to choir and band students.

“I’m happy that I will get to be in the band room now,” said a student with a more positive perspective on the parking lot, “I’m in choir, and the choir classes will move to the band room when the new band room is built due to construction.”

Administration has heard the complaints of those inconvenienced by the decreased parking spaces and wants students to know that they have done everything in their power to maximize the amount of parking space available during construction. Multiple conversations  happened between Dr. Wright and Clark Construction to save two lanes from the main student lot, which fell through in the end as the construction crew needed more space. Despite this loss, Dr. Wright did as much as he could to ensure there would be enough parking spaces for students with the softball and Marsh lots.

“I actually went out this summer and counted all of the parking spaces in the different lots… so that we’d actually have parking available for everybody,” Dr. Wright said.