As part of the 2023 bond initiative, all district high schools would receive a new auxiliary gym. The athletic lot is closed for students due to the construction of the gym. School resource officer Mark Kelly said he has had a few concerns with blocking off some parking.
“We were kind of worried about [running out of spots], but thus far, we’ve seen that there’s plenty of spots,” Kelly said. “At roughly the end of October, the band lot will open up and that’ll open up at least 100 more spots.”
While the athletic lot is closed to students, a few spots remain open for teachers and staff members. Head football coach Anthony Orrick said it is comforting knowing there are spots available.
“It’s nice not having the students out there. We have a lot more spaces for when we show up, and we’re not fighting for spots,” Orrick said. “It’s also nice coming in the side door. They put a new card reader on the side door, so it’s a little bit quicker for us to get into the building.”
With limited parking, senior Grace Rindlisbacher has struggled to find a space due to her morning studies at CAPS. She said she occasionally has to go through all of the parking lots to find a spot.
“CAPS students are given a 10-15 minute grace period,” Rindlisbacher said. “And then if you miss that 10-15 minute grace period, you’re counted late.”
Rindlisbacher said it has impacted both her arrival and dismissal, despite living close to the school.
“[It takes more time] getting around places, whether it’s leaving the school or coming to school,” Rindlisbacher said. “I just have to prioritize my time better and be like, ‘OK, I have to be at school at this time, so I need to leave probably 10 minutes earlier.’”
The additional auxiliary gym will provide more room for activities. Orrick said it will help give football and other sports an indoor practice space if necessary.
“I hope that it alleviates some limitations we had with space,” Orrick said. “If we have a storm outside or it’s too hot or whatever, maybe we can get a little extra space for outside sports to come in and practice, and then also during basketball season [and] volleyball season, it’ll kind of clear up some space.”
Following the completion of the gym, Kelly said he has been told there will be the same amount of parking as in previous years.
“It’s going to go in that grass area that’s not really doing anything,” Kelly said. “It’s going to angle right across there, and they’re going to rebuild the entrance down there, which is going to be really cool when it’s done.”
