The parking garage seen behind the fence as students arrive at school every morning was finished during the past summer, concluding the initial phase of the 2017 Bond Program. The estimated $90 million grant given to Bowie for facilities, funding the production of the parking garage, has produced substantial benefits for student and faculty members who have begun to return to campus. 

On the garage’s highest level of four layers, there are eight full-size tennis courts, offering a modernized practice and tournament arena for the tennis team. The courts also come with a water bottle refill station to reduce the hassle of traveling all the way down to refill water. Geometry teacher Kristien Rodriguez has visited the tennis courts.

“I think the tennis court being on top of the parking garage is a great idea,” Rodriguez said. “We are always battling for space at Bowie, so this is a unique solution to help with that.”

While the garage is good for maximizing space with the addition of the courts and the reduction in student traffic, Rodriguez believes there are disadvantages to the new garage. 

“I think the disadvantage is that we can no longer see Bowie from Slaughter Lane as well with the parking garage in front, reducing the overall campus aesthetic,” Rodriguez said. “I do think that the parking garage is very beneficial though and will alleviate the parking situation at Bowie.”

The 486 space parking garage, in spite of the closure of the campus, is currently being used by participants of on-campus instruction. Although the parking garage is there to help traffic and allow more students to park on campus, Rodriguez expressed that the traffic flow can still be slow.

“I’m not sure if traffic in and out of the campus will improve, but hopefully there are more parking spots available for students now,” Rodriguez said. “I have still experienced quite a bit of traffic leaving campus at times even with minimal students attending Bowie in person.”