Rendering of Creason parking garage released, construction to start in September

Rendering courtesy of Bryan Russell/WKU.

John Reecer

Construction on a new $10 million parking structure which will be located in Creason Lot will begin in the earlier part of September, said Chief Facilities Bryan Russell during last Thursday’s Board of Regents annual retreat.

Russell showcased new plans for the six-story parking garage which will be named PS3. The rendering that was displayed at the retreat was a newly redesigned imagining of PS3 from what was previously envisioned.

Due to the recent discovery of a water line underneath part of Creason Lot, Russell and other WKU officials had to change their construction plans.

“We do have a water line about 24 inches in diameter, (we) just didn’t realize the impact of it on the new building,” Russell said. “So we actually just scooted the project over.”

Moving the project over will give some benefits to WKU as Russell said that doing so will “open up more parking on the side.” The side Russell was referring too was the side which is closest to Russellville Rd.

Multiple members of the Board of Regents were impressed with the rendering as Russell said the parking structure will be “very attractive.”

“Usually parking structures aren’t pretty, but that’s beautiful,” Student Regent Jay Todd Richey said of the rendering. “For a parking structure, that’s very well designed.”

Russell said that the project will take around 10 months to finish. PS3 will be constructed similarly to PS2, which took that amount of time to construct. The garage will be ready for use by the start of the 2017 fall semester.

Also, at the meeting WKU President Gary Ransdell said to Richey that the Student Government Association (SGA) should see a presentation on the parking structure because “students are paying for this one” and that Russell “would be happy to come to an SGA meeting to present.”