As the school year progresses, Buena’s parking lots have undergone improvements and updates for staff and students. The recent construction is expected to last approximately three months, continuing through the spring season until early May.
On Feb. 26, construction began in Buena’s student parking lot, followed shortly by work in one of the faculty parking lots. Both areas are currently undergoing the Solar Panel Parking Project (SPPP). During the installation, most student parking lots closest to the school will remain closed.
The SPPP is a part of the Master Plan, which has been a project for VUSD to improve school campuses and even new features which are planned to be added as the years come along, it’s said to have started since 2020, and it’s said to last till 2030. Other schools in the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) are a part of this plan too. Throughout the district, Juanamaria, Pacific High School and soon to be Ventura High School will also be getting these upgrades along with installing solar panels for their campuses.
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On March 10 in the afternoon the parking lot closer to the stadium was blocked off and gated, with poles and equipment laying around inside as construction was in progress.
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During lunch on March 18, students were able to see a front end-loader tossing dirt into a truck. Potentially cleaning up and removing dirt to insert the solar panels
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Half of the circle parking lot is seen blocked off with huge piles of dirt in the inside as construction continues.
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The lower parking lot is seen to be halfway through with the construction letting students see what was done over the break.
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On March 31, students were able to come back from spring break and witness the progress compared to how it was before break.
The construction was originally scheduled to begin in December, around the end of Thanksgiving break. However, delays on other campuses caused the project to be pushed back.
While the construction has been in progress for only a week, it has taken its toll on students who are now struggling to find already limited parking. On March 6, around 10 a.m. emails were sent informing everyone about the parking situation and where spots would be available. Students were given little notice about the construction until a few days prior, leaving everyone confused and stuck with not only parking but timing to make sure they don’t hit traffic or aren’t late to work/class.
Senior Jermaine Doria explains how it’s been hard to deal with the new parking rules and the limited space.
“I’ve been needing to park all the way in the back closer to the stadium,” Doris said. “I was late [to class] the first couple of days and wasn’t used to it”
When Doria had first heard the announcements, he didn’t think much of it until he realized the lack of parking spots firsthand.
Assistant Principal Tina Perez acknowledged the challenges of creating a fair parking arrangement for both staff and students. She explained that the lower section of the parking lot near the stadium has remained open for students, with at least 64 newly painted parking spots added. Additionally, to provide more options, the school recently removed the “No Parking” signs on Buena’s side of Wake Forest, extending up to the circle lot.
“[The school] had recently taken down the no parking signs on Wake Forest and Buena side of the street. So if you can’t park in the parking lot you can park along that whole street from the stadium all the way up to the circle lot.” Perez said
Staff has now enforced parking passes, or other words assigned slots for each faculty member. This allows staff to have an organized idea of where they’re parking. The parking pass must be displayed on the driver’s dashboard as proof of permission to park.
The parking situation at Buena has always been a problem for staff/students to get around with. Incidents such as students being caught parking in the circle lot when they’re not supposed to. This leaves staff parking spots less when they do end up coming to school.
While the parking lot construction has posed challenges, it has also brought some benefits. Biology teacher Cody Foster noted that parking has, in some ways, improved during the construction process.
“A pro for me is having a specific pass that gets me into a specific lot. Now I don’t have to worry about finding a spot,” Foster said.
On the other hand, some cons are how signs are needed to make it specific for guests/visitors or even substitute teachers.
“I think it’s positive and really important for the future to have either specific parking lots, because it’s not super visual as for as signage,” Foster said. “There’s not a lot of signage expressing that’s where [visitors] go and these spots are only for [visitors] which is frustrating.”
On March 11 around 7 a.m emails were sent out to determine where most students are parking. Available parking options include nearby lots such as the Wake Forest/Post Office lot, the Circle Lot, the Victoria Lot, the parking strip along Victoria near the tennis courts, and the neighborhoods surrounding Buena.
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On March 6 around 9:50 a.m. an email was sent to staff to inform them where to display their parking passes or to let their sub know where to park.
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An email was sent on March 11 around 7:15 a.m to students from Assistant Principal Tina Perez, discussing the guidelines for parking and where to park during the solar panel construction.
“We’ve always had the issue with students parking in the staff parking lot, but with this situation it really came down to one staff member per spot in the places that we can,” Perez said.
As much as it is a hassle to deal with the parking situations, it wasn’t up to the administration to pick when the project will start. It all depends on the project itself and how slow or fast it’ll get done.
“I think [VUSD] timing for the project was a little poor but I’m glad they’re using their money for good,” Senior Noah Romero said.
