Penn State's Department of Transportation Services Event Parking staff recently received recognition for outstanding achievement at the First Annual Pennsylvania Parking Association Awards Program held at the Hilton Harrisburg and Towers on September 19, 2001.  In the area of Event Parking, Frank Pope, Penn State's Event Parking Coordinator, accepted the Award of Excellence for Innovation in Parking Management.  This award was given for the management strategy used to park the Bill Gaither Tour sell-out event. The Bill Gaither Tour, a religious music performance, has been conducted at the Bryce Jordan Center for the past three years.  The audience demographics for this type of event involves high numbers of attendees with special mobility needs requiring attention to specialized parking needs. Additionally, the patrons for this event travel in large groups resulting in the need to load and unload many motor coaches, averaging 120 each year, in a safe manner.

Extensive planning by Frank Pope and his staff resulted in a parking strategy that provided for the advanced distribution of parking information and maps to bus operators and large groups, the orderly parking of an average of 120 buses for each event, the distribution of bus location information to all bus riders to assist them in finding their bus upon completion of the concert, and the implementation of a driver's room, provided by the Bryce Jordan Center, where the bus drivers could obtain refreshments, information about the State College area, and wait for the end of the event.

Frank's coordination with bus companies, churches, the University Police and the Bryce Jordan Center staff created a seamless parking lot strategy leading to the safe and efficient parking and unparking of this sell-out event.  The Bryce Jordan Center staff, the University Police, and Fullington Bus Company personnel must also be recognized for their role in making this event a success.  The second place Award of Merit was given to the Pittsburgh Parking Authority for their event parking strategy at the Lazarus Garage.

Penn State's Department of Transportation Services also received an Award of Merit for Innovation in Parking Improvement for the expansion of the Hub Deck that occurred last summer.  Doug Holmes, Transportation Services Facilities Coordinator, accepted the award for his work with the parking consultants of Tim Haahs and Associates, High Concrete, Reynolds Construction, and PSU's Office of Physical Plant.  This coordinated effort resulted in an almost invisible expansion of this, now, five-floor parking structure that utilized 15-foot pre-cast tees greatly reducing the number of structural joints.  The efficient and effective coordination of all groups involved resulted in a project that was completed on on-time and under budget.

The evening of achievement ended for Penn State with the selection of Doug Holmes to the position of President of the Pennsylvania Parking Association. Additionally this year, Doug was also elected to the Board of Directors for the International Parking Institute.  Doug is a twenty-six year employee of the Pennsylvania State University.  He has served as a Penn State police officer, Parking Office Manager, and now continues his career as the Transportation Services Facilities Coordinator