Erie High School is now the largest school, in terms of the student population, in the St. Vrain Valley School District. With all these new students comes a need for a parking lot that can fit all the cars they drive. 

“We’ve been working with the district this entire school year and have been aware of the need for a while.” Liz Russell, the Assistant Principal at Erie High School, says.

Not enough places to park causes traffic in the parking lot and a higher likelihood of an accident or running into a pedestrian. This is increasingly important now that new drivers are on the rise.  The age of people getting their license is descending. According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 60% of students got their license before the age of 18. That’s an 11% increase since 2012. When the age that students get their license is younger, there are more students driving and more need for more parking. 

A parking lot big enough for these new drivers is crucial. Russell says that, “With our growing student population, we need more parking. We want to make sure students and visitors have a place to park, and the new lot will help with this.” 

According to Russell, “If students have spaces to park they can more easily arrive [at] school, park, and arrive to class on time. Right now students spend a lot of time driving the lot looking for an open spot. More spots will ensure more students can park in a designated spot and get to class before the bell rings.” 

Right now the district is adding a new parking lot to Erie High School. It will cost $462,202 and will add 58 new parking spaces on the north side of the school. Fransen Pittman Construction Co. was chosen for the project because of their experience in construction for the St. Vrain Valley School District and Erie High School. 

According to the proposal to the school board from the superintendent, Don Haddad, the project includes, “associated drainage, lighting, and landscaping for the additional parking.” 

Russell says that the Parking Lot is set to, “… be complete by the time we return from Thanksgiving break.”