New Parking Option for Departmental Visitors

There is a new option for departments to pay for parking for their visitors. The Luke multiple space parking meters installed in the Stadium Drive and Garland Avenue parking garages and parking lots 67 (west of HPER) and 53 (at the West Avenue Annex) will accept Meter Codes to allow departments to pay for parking for their guests. Meter Codes are numbers to be entered into the Luke by the customer. The department requesting a Meter Code will be billed the hourly meter rate for their visitor’s parking. The fiscal year 2011 meter rate is $1.35 an hour.

The Meter Codes can be valid for one or multiple days or with no end date specified. Each Meter Code can be for one or multiple uses. They can be for specific garages or levels within a garage, specific parking lots, or for any Luke multiple space meter on the UA campus.

One of the disadvantages of Meter Codes being valid for more than one day is the potential for abuse. For example, if a department that has a Meter Code valid for an entire semester has given that number to multiple people to use on a daily basis, the use and expense to the department could pile up. It is important to safeguard the code since the requesting department will be billed for all the activity on the Meter Code as long as it is valid.

Some examples of Meter Code use (all examples use the fiscal year 2011 hourly meter rate of $1.35):

• A department can invite guests to campus for a meeting. Each guest can receive the same Meter Code number. The Meter Code is valid only on the date of the meeting. If the department invites 10 people who park for two hours each, the department would be billed for $27 for parking. Temporary visitor permits for the same meeting would cost $53.80 and temporary garage visitor permits would cost $120.90.
• A department has a guest teaching a three-day-a-week class for two weeks. If the guest parks for two hours a day three days a week for two weeks, the department will be billed $16.20 for the guest’s parking using the Meter Code. A temporary visitor permit for the guest for the same time period would be $32.28 and a temporary garage visitor permit would be $72.54.
• A department has a guest who will be meeting on campus periodically for a semester. The guest can be provided with a Meter Code valid for the entire semester. The department will be billed for the amount of time actually used.

To request a Meter Code:

Meter Codes must be requested at least five days in advance of their use. Please send an e-mail to parking@uark.edu. The email should contain the department name and cost center number to be charged, the dates valid for the Meter Codes, the number of Meter Codes needed and a contact name and phone number for the requesting department.

Please contact Debbie Wood at 575-7929 or dwood@uark.edu if you have questions about Meter Codes.