More student parking is finding its way to the Hill.

A piece of land purchased by Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center between Kentucky and Adams streets will be leased by Western and used for student parking.

This new lot will be between the Kentucky Street lot and the Kentucky Museum lot.

Western will pay for liability insurance and the leveling, paving and lighting of the lot.

“As SKyPAC has continued to add property, we have been able to use the property,” said Karl Laves, co-chair of parking and transportation committee.

Laves said the new lot will create about 120 new spaces.

Laves said he hopes to have gravel down by March 6 when the Sun Belt Conference championships begin.

Eventually, the committee wants the new lot to serve as a connector between the Kentucky Museum and Kentucky Street lots.

“We’d like to bring it up to the same level as the lots that bracket beside it,” said Capt. Eugene Hoofer, a committee member. “They’re in the process of doing drawings and trying to see the most efficient design to utilize that space.”

The lots will be available for student use before and after SKyPAC is completed. Osborne said it could be 2004 before funding can be requested to build SKyPAC.

“SKyPAC is in the planning stages now,” he said. “They have funding to do planning, but no funding for a construction project.”

Reach Jessica Sasseen at [email protected].