Construction of a 276-space parking garage is expected to alleviate parking challenges at Lone Star College's Fairbanks Center at Hwy. 290 and W. Little York Road. Construction is scheduled to begin in April and to be complete in June.

The LSC board of trustees, following the recommendation of Chancellor Richard Carpenter, authorized the negotiation of a "guaranteed maximum price" contract with Pepper Lawson Construction for $3,666,281 at its Feb. 6 meeting. Schematic designs for the garage were finalized at a Nov. 7 workshop.

Parking issues became significantly worse as a result of construction on Hwy. 290, making the project a priority, said Deana Sheppard, vice president of college centers with LSC–CyFair.

Funding for the garage was included as a part of the $497.7 million bond election that failed in May 2013. Following the bond's defeat, the board of trustees voted in August to move forward with about $60 million in improvements across LSCS for projects that were deemed critical, including the garage.

"This is the kind of project that has been on our radar for a while," said Ray Laughter, vice chancellor for external relations. "It's something that needed to be addressed."

Funds for the project come from reserves and from a revenue budgeting process in 2013 that makes use of facilities funds to pay for certain improvements, Laughter said.