Do you know where to park for this week’s football game? Are you sure?
Brand new ticket booth and entrance on the north end of the athletic complex with crosswalk to Manchester High School parking lot. Photo by Sara Swanson.
by Sara Swanson
With Manchester Community Schools opting not to renew their contract with the Manchester United Methodist Church for the use of the church’s parking lot for events, some pretty serious changes were made this summer during work to the athletic complex that will impact how community members are able to arrive at and park for events at the stadium. Until this fall, most attendees parked in the Manchester United Methodist Church’s parking lot. This fall, that is no longer an option, and because the only way into the church’s parking lot now is a single-lane driveway that is being used for two-way traffic, it could be dangerous if attempted.
Pastor Susan Hitts of the Manchester United Methodist Church explained, “With the upcoming first home football game, it is important for attendees to have a safe plan for entry. We have noticed confusion by some community members a few weeks ago when the school removed the pavement that connected our lot with their drive for the first time since sporting events began at this complex about 40 years ago. Even after the school planted a line of trees along the previous connecting point two weeks ago, we have seen people drive over the median to get closer to the old stadium entrance. Obviously, the long-standing community habit of driving from the school property onto ours is no longer a safe plan. At the church, our current parking lot drive is single-lane and extends around the building and over a hill. Until our own parking lot update commences, it would be dangerous to have the typical football traffic going in and out of our lot without someone directing it.”
Superintendent Steve Head, who was hired last spring to replace Dr. Brad Bezeau (and is not involved in the parking lot negotiations or construction decisions), explained where community members should park to attend this week’s football game and future events at the stadium. He stated, “We have a brand new ticket booth at the north end of the stadium. Fans can park at the high school and enter.”
The school district is encouraging everyone to park at the high school but explained that there is also parking still available in the Klager lot, which has a new crosswalk painted to guide pedestrians to the ticket booth next to the concessions building. In addition, there is handicapped parking marked next to the ticket booth by concessions. Although there won’t be signage about the new parking situation or anyone directing traffic on game night, Head is confident people will understand where to park when they see the new sidewalk at the high school lot that takes them to the new ticket booth on the north side.
Why were these changes made? We reported in July of 2024 that the school district and church could not come to an agreement on an annual fee for parking lot usage as the church was asking for a very large increase. The school had been paying a fee of $950 per year and the church asked for $17,400 per year for 5 years to pay for 75% of the upcoming cost of repaving their parking lot as 75% of the parking lot usage was by the school. In addition to the large increase there was no guarantee in the proposed contract that the rate would drop after the 5 year period. Read more about the negotiations and failure to reach an agreement here.
We then reported in August of 2024 that the two entities came to an agreement that would last through June of 2025 and the school’s use of the lot resumed for another school year. Pastor Hitts states that in early June the church extended an offer to the school to renew the contract to use their parking lot under the same terms as the prior year but that on June 24, the school sent the church an email that they will no longer be using the church parking lot for any of their activities. The insurance rider for school usage of the church lot expired at the end of June as well. Church members then arrived one day to find the shared driveway, which is on school property, disconnected from the church’s lot with no warning, necessitating church attendees’ use of an old single-lane driveway with a blind corner for entering and exiting the church parking lot until they are able to redo their parking lot and driveway.
Pastor Hitts wishes the district the best with the new parking arrangements, a safe night for the fans, and a good game for the varsity football team this week. She states, “Historically, there were around 120 cars parked at our lot on a typical football night, including some lining up along the fence to watch. The school has used our community’s tax dollars in the form of bond funds in a way that creates a different way to park, walk, and enter the athletic facility than has happened previously. I hope that this revised parking and entrance plan turns out to be exactly what the school hoped it would be when they created an alternate plan for the community. As for Friday night, I wish the best to our football team, community, and band as they kick off the football season. Go, Dutch!”
9-2-2025 Editor’s note: This article was updated with specifics of the 2024 proposed annual fee.
Trees planted where the entrance to the United Methodist Church’s parking lot from the shared drive used to be. Photo by Sara Swanson.
New crosswalks leading from Luther C. Klager Elementary school’s parking lot to a new paved walkway leading to the old ticket booth. Photo by Sara Swanson.
New paved walkway to the old ticket booth and a small lot with handicap parking. Photo by Sara Swanson.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login