Charging for Parking at Regionals.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally Posted by Ricky Q.

Yea, but that won't happen. The venues run the parking lots, not FIRST. To get free parking at events, regional planning committees need to get enough money to cover the cost of buying out the lots from the venues for that weekend.

Yeah, I don't understand the whole thought of "You own our arena for the weekend, but we own the parking lot for the arena for the weekend"

In that case Parking Lot does not equal arena.

But since you got the arena, what are you gonna do without a lot?

I think a regional planing committee should stir things up (in a big city event to make the most waves and be logistically feasible) by saying, sure.. we'll pay to use your arena but we're gonna tell everyone not to park at the venue and when you don't make money from parking maybe you'll make Arena include parking lot in your costing.

Seriously, who else uses the parking lot at most events during a FIRST competition other than FIRST competitors, or people who are coming to see that specific event. Sounds like just another way the Venue is trying to squeeze money out of a non-profit organization not taking that non-profit fact into account.

(Note that this is not taking The Championship event and other such places into account where there are multiple venues on one site, and multiple FIRST/non-FIRST activities going on with one shared parking lot)

Also, Ricky.. what do you mean by "Buy out the lots" Do you mean a guess of how many cars are going to use the lots, or the full capacity. Because i have never see a parking garage at a FIRST event completely full with the exception of the one in New Haven in 2002 but that parking lot was small to begin with and was not a parking lot designed just for the venue, but parking for the city of New Haven as well.

Bottom line, it may be of the interest of a regional committee to look into the numbers of cars that they had the last year for parking and just pay that amount for the upcoming year.

I would never pay the whole 10 dollars for every spot in the venue parking lot to make it free for guests. That's not worth it realistically.