Ever tried to find a parking place at the Capitol? Not an easy task.Ìý
Lincoln Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks knows that. The Capitol is in her district.
"The acute shortage of parking around the Capitol is one felt by visitors, state employees and neighborhood residents alike," Pansing Brooks said.Ìý
Her constituents who live in the area don't have parking or appropriate access to their homes, she said. And those who want to visit the Capitol or a senator, or attend a hearing, struggle to find short-term, on-street parking.
Neighborhood groups have been dealing with the parking problems for years.
Even without the Capitol, the neighborhood would have a parking problem because it is such a dense area, said Shawn Ryba, executive director of the South of Downtown Community Development Organization.ÌýÂ
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The inability of the state to find adequate parking for its employees is causing even greater strain on the neighborhood, he said.Ìý
The people who own property and who are renting can barely park at their own places, Ryba said.
"This is a neighborhood; it’s not a parking lot," Ryba said. "We'd like to see something done."
It looks like this spring and summer would be an ideal time for all the interested parties to look at this issue, he said.Ìý
The city is considering putting two parking garages in the downtown area, one in southeast downtown, he pointed out.Ìý
The city is also working on a downtown master plan that will address parking issues.Ìý
"And the state has finished a Capitol campus master plan, which no one has seen," he said.
It seems like it might be a good time to have a conversation with all these players and to come up with some solutions, he said.
About 900 employees work in the Capitol, although that number will shrink to about 750 during the time the heating, ventilation and air conditioning project takes place, beginning this summer. Several offices will move from the Capitol to offices nearby or downtown.Ìý
The Capitol receives about 100,000 visitors each year, and 25,000 students, most of whom come in school buses, according to the State Patrol Capitol Security division. That doesn't take into account the number of people who come to testify on bills or observe hearings during the session.
A 2009 study by the Department of Administrative Services showed the state-owned garages and surface lots in Lincoln supported 1,989 off-street parking spaces. The waiting list for those permits was 300 people at that time, and nearly double that today, even though an additional lot has brought the total number of stalls to 2,256.Ìý
So Pansing Brooks and Sen. Dan Watermeier of Syracuse introduced an interim study to find a solution.Ìý
And former senators offered assistance.Ìý
Bob Wickersham, with the Nebraska Association of Former State Senators, said he and others in the group would like to help with the problem.Ìý
The citizens of Nebraska serve as a second house and should have easy access to the Capitol without unduly burdening those residents who live nearby, Pansing Brooks said.Ìý
"It is imperative that we work to remove all barriers to participation in our unique legislative process, as well as being good neighbors," she said.Ìý
The interim study will examine the extent of the parking shortage, and provide potential solutions, which could result in savings for the state, the senators said.Ìý
Reporter Nancy Hicks contributed to this story.
Reach JoAnne Young at 402-473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.Ìý
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