The gravel parking lot at Haddonfield Memorial High School is filled with constant chaos. Deep potholes cover the ground, making it a dangerous area for new drives. Not only that but the overgrown and untamed plants create blind spots. These blind spots result in accidents that could be prevented if the parking lot was better maintained. The gravel lot has become an accident-prone area, which has resulted in people searching for safer areas to park. However, the lot across Hopkins is filled with weeds; Roberts street parking is severely limited; and with the new parking permits on Sylvan, parking feels inaccessible to faculty and students alike.
The only way to protect the safety of students and their vehicles is to pave the gravel parking lot. This construction is essential to establish a smooth parking lot where there is a lesser risk of vehicles being damaged. The paving of the gravel lot would include filling the potholes and establishing a multitude of parking spots with painted lines. This would be extremely beneficial so that we can maximize the amount of parking spots for students. Without any defined parking spots, fewer students are able to park in the lot because of the free-range parking which establishes a chaotic environment. A newly renovated parking lot that is smooth to drive on with designated parking spots will allow a much safer environment for students and faculty who choose to park there.
When looking at the price to pave the gravel lot, it would be around $8,000. This may sound like a lot, but when compared to the two new turf fields we just got totaling about $172,800 the price seems small. Paving the parking lot would cost one-eighteenth of the amount of money spent on the refurbished turf. To put into perspective, the cost that students pay to park on Sylvan, in total, would be enough to pave the gravel lot.
If this issue continues to be ignored, more accidents will occur and school-goers will continue to be at risk. In polling many HMHS students and faculty who are able to drive, 96% of people said that the parking lot needs to be fixed. 50% of the people who were polled do not park in the gravel parking lot because it is too dangerous. One student remarked, “I’m too scared of hitting someone else or someone hitting me.” Although this is a costly problem to fix, it can be done. Paving the parking lot will ensure the safety of students and faculty at HMHS.
