New Parking Permit Procedures, Options Announced

Amy Orr ’95, director of the Office of Campus Services at the College of Charleston, sent the following message to faculty and staff on Thursday, July 23, 2020:

Attention faculty and staff:

Due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and response, we have made some changes to our normal permit application procedures, and we have added a part-time permit option for employees who do not come to campus five days a week. Please see below for further details.

EMPLOYEES WHO CURRENTLY HAVE PERMITS:

All employees who currently have parking permits will be automatically reassigned to their current lot or garage.

If you currently have a 2019–2020 parking permit, you will receive an assignment letter no later than 5 p.m. on July 23, 2020, to confirm your assignment to the same parking location for the 2020–2021 academic year. This assignment letter will include the payment instructions for employees who wish to pay in advance for their permits, as well as those who want to pay for their permits via payroll deductions.

Permits will be mailed to the home addresses of employees who complete the payment process by August 7, 2020. Permits should be received no later than August 20, 2020.

If you are currently assigned to a lot or garage and would prefer to park in another surface lot or garage if a space becomes available at a later date, you may email parkingservices@cofc.edu to request that your name be added to the wish list.

There will be no permit price increases for the upcoming 2020–2021 academic year.

EMPLOYEES WHO DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE PERMITS BUT WISH TO APPLY FOR A PERMIT:

A PDF version of our permit application to all employees who wish to apply for a 2020–2021 permit is available here. Please save the application to your files in order to complete it. We recommend that you rename the file by simply adding your name or initials to the file name (ex: “Employee-permit-app_AY2021_A-Smith”).

Please return your completed application via email to parkingservices@cofc.edu as soon as possible. Employees who apply prior to August 7, 2020, will receive an assignment letter via email and will have the option to pay for their permits online, and their permits will be mailed to their home addresses. Employees whose applications are received on or after August 7 should come to Campus Services HQ at 162 Calhoun St. to pick up their permits prior to the first day of classes.

EMPLOYEES WHO WISH TO PURCHASE PERMITS BUT WILL NOT BE ON CAMPUS ALL FIVE DAYS OF THE WORK WEEK:

Starting in August, we will be offering a part-time permit for employees who plan on telecommuting one or more days each week. These permits will be sold at a prorated core garage rate (depending on how many days per week they are valid) and will be valid in the College’s PG Garage (next to the BellSouth Building).

The part-time permits will work as follows: Employees will select which days they will park on campus each week. This can be any combination of days. Employees will be able to swipe their Cougar Cards to enter and exit the garage on the days of the week on which their part-time permits are valid.

The price of the permit will depend on how many days per week the permit will be needed: 1 day per week = $150/annually; 2 days per week = $300/annually; 3 days per week = $450 annually; 4 days per week = $600 annually. Employees will have the option to pay in advance for their permits or to pay via payroll deduction.

Part-time permits will only be valid on the days of the week for which they are purchased. If you need to drive to campus on a day of the week for which your part-time permit is not valid, you will be expected to pay for your parking on that day. We are still offering the $10/day daily rate at PG and WG Garages if you pay with Cougar Cash.

Regardless of how many days per week your part-time permit is valid, you will be able to use it at any time on Saturdays and Sundays.

Please complete and return the application via email to parkingservices@cofc.edu as soon as possible. Employees who apply prior to August 7, 2020, will receive an assignment letter via email and will have the option to pay for their permits online, and their permits will be mailed to their home addresses. Employees whose applications are received on or after August 7 should come to Campus Services HQ at 162 Calhoun St. to pick up their permits prior to the first day of classes.

If you currently have a permit and are interested in purchasing a part-time permit instead of being automatically reassigned to your current location (as detailed above), please email Sonya Allen directly (allens@cofc.edu) so that we can cancel your automatic reassignment.

EMPLOYEES WHO CURRENTLY USE CARTA TO TRAVEL TO CAMPUS AND WISH TO CONTINUE TO DO SO:

Because CARTA is used by many essential employees throughout the tri-county area, CARTA’s services have remained in operation throughout the pandemic. We do not anticipate a disruption of CARTA services at this time or in the foreseeable future.

CARTA has taken several measures to ensure the safety and well-being of its drivers and passengers. For further information, please visit their website: https://www.ridecarta.com/returntofullservice/.

EMPLOYEES WHO ONLY PARK OCCASIONALLY ON CAMPUS:

We will continue to offer the $10/day daily rate at PG and WG Garages if you pay with Cougar Cash. For further information, please visit Parking for Employees and scroll down to the section titled “Discounted Daily Garage Parking.”

If you have any parking or transportation questions that were not addressed in this communication, please forward them to parkingservices@cofc.edu.

Amy Orr
Director of Campus Services