Towing off campus necessary for residents

Limited parking spaces available for visitors

Amy Paterson / photo editor Local towing companies operate to help keep parking open for residents.

Towing may be an annoyance to students but is necessary for students, who live in off campus housing because it can be difficult to find parking spaces in apartment complexes.

"More visitor spots are always needed, but towing is necessary," said sophomore Alex Wile, who lives in the Commons. "We have trouble parking ... sometimes."

South View, the Commons and Stone Gate all use Teter’s Towing Company. "We give the towing company permission to tow on our property," said a South View office employee, Alexis Baker. "We do not receive reimbursements for the cars that they tow."

Gary Teter, the owner of Teter’s Towing Company, said that his company tows cars parked illegally 24 hours a day, seven days a week. "We have three trucks total," Teter said. "There is no set number of cars we tow, sometimes 10 to 12 a night."

Ashby Crossing uses KAR Towing. KAR tows all week from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The fee for towing is $85. Keith Teter, the owner of KAR Towing, said that out of the six trucks the company owns, two are used for the apartment parking lots on a regular basis.

"We are just doing our job," Keith Teter said. "It’s amazing how mad some people get at us."

Ashby Crossing issues 50 guest parking passes each week at a cost of $1 per pass, said senior Dan Whitacre, Ashby Crossing employee. No guest parking passes are issued in The Commons, South View, or Stone Gate.

"Visitor parking is available on a first come, first serve basis," Baker said. Extra parking has been added in these apartment complexes to aide visitors with parking.

According to Kevin Williams, the maintenance manager of The Commons, South View and Stone Gate, Stone Gate added two additional gravel lots for parking last year.

In the event that a car is towed, the towing company informs the police to avoid confusion with theft.

"The person should call the police with the license plate number [if you can’t find your car]," Keith Teter said. "The officer can then tell you what company has your car and where they are located."