If you drive to campus, you've undoubtedly suffered "parking headache," an affliction that spikes particularly when students return to campus and the parking lots fill up beyond capacity. While there is nothing very positive about having a headache, there is an "up side" to the parking fees-and tickets-that we all pay.

The revenues generated from Auraria parking fees and tickets are increasingly being used for campus improvements, utility increases, repairs, previously deferred maintenance and developing new and improved academic space. "It's great—we're using the money for roofs, elevators, classrooms and pedestrian malls," says Mark Gallagher, Director of Parking and Transportation for the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC).

"Parking revenues benefit the entire campus, especially during these times of extremely tight resources," adds Dean Wolf, Executive Vice President for Administration of AHEC. "Without the parking fees, we'd be shy about 10 classrooms."

In the 2005-06 fiscal year, Auraria Parking plans to fund campus improvements totaling more than $2.5 million, including the following:

• Converting former CCD lab space in the Seventh Street Building into four "smart" (media-ready) classrooms.
• Creating additional parking spaces and emergency telephones, improving lighting, upgrading asphalt surfaces and constructing required storm water runoff collection and filtering basins in campus lots L and K.
• Contributing significant parking reserves to meet top maintenance priority needs, including improving the ventilation systems in the Science, North and Arts buildings, completing major repairs to the campus utility infrastructure, elevator repairs in North and South Classroom buildings and replacing the Plaza/Seventh Street building roofs.

To date, the Auraria Parking operation has funded more than $25 million in campus improvements, including the following:

• Replaced temporary classroom trailers by converting and upgrading space into six "smart" classrooms in the Administration Building.
• Repaired and replaced half of the roof on the Events Center.
• Upgraded and added 10 "smart" classrooms in the West and South buildings, the Facilities Annex and the Library.
• Improved and upgraded the Seventh Street and Auraria Parkway intersection by adding a dedicated right turn lane for more efficient exiting.
• Improved lighting, added emergency telephones, created additional parking spaces and upgraded asphalt surfaces in campus lots A, B, E, F, G, H, I, M, N and W.
• Improved traffic flow by adding a traffic circle in front of Einstein Bros. Bagels at the Mercantile (at the end of Curtis Street) and developed a new pedestrian mall on the west side of the Arts Building.
• Designed and constructed a new 819 space parking structure at 901 Walnut Street (north of the Tivoli Student Union), which opened on Monday in time for fall classes.