Editorial

Parking lot spaces crucial

Maybe you just spent the last half-hour circling Court Street.

Maybe you had to listen to your parents rant about the ticket they got while helping you move in two weeks ago.

Maybe your friend came to visit last weekend, and instead of a night Uptown, you showed her the Athens Towing yard.

Whatever your horror story, almost everyone agrees the lack of parking in Athens is a little out of hand - and getting worse.

Construction on Athens City Parking Garage has taken away 50 to 70 precious spots, almost half of the garage spaces. Road work along South Court Street is eating up even more spaces. And if the city votes to close Court Street for Homecoming weekend, out-of-town visitors likely will spend more of their time scavenging for parking than they will enjoying the festivities.

Work on the garage originally was scheduled for completion before students returned to campus in September. But as too often happens with construction projects, the date was pushed back, to mid-October.

Repairs to the structure are unquestionably necessary, but when space is scarce, timing is crucial. The city missed its three-month window.

Now it's time to make adjustments.

Everyone knows it's easier to find a senior in class on a Friday than it is to find a parking spot on an Athens street. The Ohio University Office of Admissions' application viewbook even warns incoming freshmen not to bring cars to town because space is "limited."

But that doesn't mean city officials should just shrug their shoulders and toss up their hands at the issue.

If Athens closes Court Street for Homecoming weekend, the city should offer a weekend shuttle from fairground parking to Uptown. And while construction continues, the city should look for other parking options.

Athens is a small town. Parking always will be a problem, but that doesn't mean there aren't solutions.

Hed:

Friday the world will come together under one flag in the spirit of athleticism, sportsmanship and excellence.

And this year it all will take place in Sydney, Australia.

Australians have been preparing for the 2000 Summer Olympics for years, because for them, the games aren't just about medals and record scores. They're also an opportunity to showcase the country's beauty and culture.

For the next few weeks all the world's eyes will be on Sydney, and Australia wants to show its best side.

So Australian officials have invested in a little cosmetic maintenance.

The government spent $25 million to demolish unsightly electric towers and bury a web of power lines covering Olympic Park, according to a Sept. 12 article in The Columbus Dispatch.

Surely the world will appreciate watching the competition in the most beautiful Sydney possible, but this type of aesthetic spending is indicative of something more than national pride - it's a symptom of an increasingly commercialized and image-oriented Olympic tradition.

But Friday, when the torch is lighted, all of that should fade away. The world needs to remember that.