In our continued effort to improve parking around town, the Parking Committee and City Council have teamed up with Clarkston Community Schools to address the issue of available space. With that, we’d like to announce the Renaissance High School parking lot adjacent to E. Church St. will be open to public parking as of Friday, Sept. 29.
We’re learning as we go. As a trial run for viability, the lot will be available every Friday and Saturday from 5-10 p.m. and during special events in the city. Clarkston Community Schools will operate a shuttle service from the lot into town with two stops along the way. The first stop will likely be at the corner of W. Church and Main streets near Honcho, and the second stop will likely be near the corner of Depot Street and West Alley behind The Fed.
Monetary donations will be accepted for the shuttle service with all proceeds going directly to Clarkston Community Schools. The city will not see any revenue from this service, only the benefit of added space. However, we strongly encourage patrons to donate. It is also understood this option requires some walking if folks don’t take advantage of the shuttle, but it’s another parking option nonetheless.
It should also be noted The Fed has plans to utilize this lot for employee parking, thus freeing up space in town. As with Honcho employees now parking at the Clarkston United Methodist Church, this is another example of a local business stepping up and helping to ease the parking pains.
As mentioned, the lot will begin availability on Friday, Sept. 29. This is the start of a traditionally busy weekend with Oktoberfest on Saturday and Taste of Clarkston on Sunday. This is an excellent opportunity for a trial-by-fire learning experience regarding the shuttle service, and to work out any kinks. There is also a goal to eventually install signage directing people to this location. In the meantime, help us spread the word that there’s a new parking option in town!
The City of the Village of Clarkston would like to thank Clarkston Community Schools for this cooperative effort. It’s another step in the right direction as we address our space needs, and a great opportunity to try something new to address our parking concerns.
Rick Detkowski is a member of the Clarkston City Council and Parking Committee