The Leader

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UW-Milwaukee may not be able to extend its lease of the Veterans/McKinley U-Park lot after May 2006, leading campus and government officials to question what alternative solutions can be made to an already strained campus parking problem.

Third District Milwaukee County Supervisor Gerry Broderick, who represents UWM and the lakefront area, said there is a chance that UWM could extend its lease through the rest of this year. Broderick doubts, however, that Milwaukee County-who owns the land the lots are on-would allow them to use the lots much longer than that.

"The lakefront is not a parking lot," said Broderick. "It's a park."

If UWM can't extend its lease, the lot would return to public use instead of a rental-lease agreement, Broderick said. It may even turn into a large grassy area.

If the lots are eliminated, more bus lines would probably be added to the Milwaukee County Transit System and students would be encouraged to ride county buses more, said Claude Schuttey, university architect and planning and transportation director.

"It's very likely UWM may lose the lot," Schuttey said. "That's why UWM needs to look for alternative parking spaces."

Alderman Michael D'Amato's Legislative Assistant Sam Rowen said students should ask UWM to rent more lots around the city and seek out alternatives to the lakefront parking.

"They should be asking UWM to look at renting space at Miller Park," Rowen said. "Nobody uses those lots from October to March. That would be a great place for students coming in from the western suburbs, [such as] Waukesha [and] New Berlin to park because they could jump on a bus and avoid the stress of navigating the Marquette Interchange at rush hour."

"Students should pressure their local leaders for the Milwaukee Connector guided tram," Rowen added.

D'Amato is a supporter of the Connector, a street-car like system that would provide mass transit from UWM to downtown. The cars would also connect Miller Park to UWM, Broderick said.

About $91 million is sitting in a federal account waiting to be used for the Connector, Broderick added. The county would still need more money and county officials' approval to get the Connector running, he continued.

"If [County Executive Scott] Walker gave it his blessing, it would make it move," Broderick said. "It's the transit system of the future."

UWM is currently paying Milwaukee County $90,000 for a nine-month lease ($10,000 per month) of the Veterans/McKinley U-Park lot.

The Capitol/Humboldt U-Park lot is on a separate lease, and would not be affected by the Veterans/McKinley U-Park lot decision.

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