A proposed parking garage for the University of Houston and the UH System (UHS) budget for fiscal year 2005 were two priorities approved during the Aug. 3 UHS Regents’ Administration and Finance Committee meeting.

The full board is scheduled to vote August 19 on a $25.8 million proposal to construct a parking garage on campus and on a FY2005 budget totaling $933 million for the UH System.

Dave Irvin, associate vice president for plant operations, discussed the prospective parking garage, which will include at least 1,200 parking spaces, a visitors center, retail spaces and an academic service center. The facility would be located at the north end of Parking Lot 1A at Calhoun Road and University Drive near Entrance 4 and the Hilton University of Houston Hotel. (Editor’s note: For more information on the proposed garage, read Garage Closer to Reality)

“This project will enhance campus life, better serve our current students, allow us to more effectively recruit and better serve visitors and new students and provide a welcoming embrace to the university community, as well as the Houston community,” Irvin said.

If the garage proposal is approved at the Aug. 19 regents meeting, its construction would begin in Jan. 2005 with an estimated completion date of Jan. 2006.

On the topic of the UH System budget for FY2005, which begins Sept. 1, Jerald Strickland, UH System interim senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and UH interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, said that the proposed main campus budget allowed for 83 new UH faculty members, a $2.8 million increase in need-based scholarships and loans for students, a 2.25 percent merit pool for faculty and a 2.25 percent across the board salary increase for staff members. The proposal also included a $300,000 staff scholarship fund that was established for UH staff members who wish to continue their formal education at UH.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu