Administrator says students of the Bay St. George Campus of CNA can rest assured that there are plenty of parking spaces available.

Despite the other parking areas being nearly full, the larger overflow area across from the college is nearly empty. - Melanie Schumph photo

By Melanie Schumph

Winter parking can be a challenge at the best of times, and some students feel that the parking areas at the D.S.B. Fowlow Building of the College of the North Atlantic are no different.

On most days, the main parking area in front of the building can be completely full. Jennifer McCarthy, a student of the Bay St. George campus, has to drive from Corner Brook for 8:30 and 9:30 classes. Almost every day, she says, it’s difficult for her to find parking.

“Sometimes we have to drive around the parking lot a couple times – or the last couple times we ended up parking out back just because there’s no spots out (front.)”

According to Campus Administrator Christopher Dohaney, parking for students should not be a problem. Dohaney explained that there are three parking areas available to students. The main area in front of the building is one, and there are two others. One is straight across from the main area and the other is an overflow parking area near what used to be a women’s prison. The parking area behind the building is mainly reserved for staff and faculty.

Many students believe that the parking area across from the college is available only to students in residence, but Dohaney said that this is not true.

“I think there might have been some confusion there because I believe there was a sign there that said the parking was restricted to a certain group,” Dohaney said. “That sign has since been removed; it’s no longer there.”

While McCarthy stated that she and friends have sometimes been late for class, Dohaney said that he isn’t aware of any parking concerns and no one has approached him saying that there are no parking spots available. He says it is very rare for there to be no parking places available to students.

If there are no parking spaces available in front of or behind the building, said Dohaney, then there are almost always parking spots available across from the building in the small and larger overflow areas.

If there are concerns with not enough parking spaces, Dohaney encourages students to stop by his office and talk with him about it.