School board approves funding for high school parking lot overhaul

The Guthrie Board of Education approved a nearly $390,000 parking lot reconstruction project for Guthrie High School during a special meeting last week, paving the way for significant improvements to traffic flow and campus safety.

Board members accepted the low bid from Stryker Asphalt & Seal Coating for $389,866.40. A second bid came in at $517,000, while six other companies elected not to submit proposals.

According to Guthrie Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson, the project is designed with safety as the top priority and will significantly change how vehicles enter and exit the campus.

“We are looking at significant changes in the traffic flow to increase safety,” Simpson said.

Under the new design, the south entrance off Wentz Street will become an entry-only drive, while the north entrance will serve as the exit only.

“The lanes are simply not wide enough for safe two-way turning, especially with buses,” Simpson explained.

The redesigned parking lot will also feature wider parking spaces. Currently, parking space widths range from 7.5 to 9 feet. The new layout will make every parking stall 9 feet wide.

Additional improvements include angled parking, one-way driving lanes, separate bus and passenger vehicle lanes in front of the school, and the removal of all but two handicap parking spaces near the gym entrance. The new bus loading area will allow buses to pull closer to the building while accommodating multiple buses at one time.

Although the project will reduce the total number of parking spaces from 403 to an estimated 332, Simpson said school officials believe the lot will continue to meet student parking needs.

“We believe this will still serve our students through the spring when we gain more young drivers,” Simpson said.

The project will include milling the existing asphalt surface before applying a new layer of asphalt.

Simpson noted that Stryker Asphalt & Seal Coating is already performing street improvement work for the City of Guthrie, allowing the company to transition directly from the city project to the school’s parking lot once that work is complete.