Photo by Sharon Taylor Conway Completed in 1993, Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Rumbaugh Parking Garage for employees added 1,155 spaces on the main installation.

Before the sun comes up each week day, Walter Reed commuters enter the gates long before their scheduled shifts begin to ensure themselves one of 3,024 legal parking spaces on post.

Those who arrive after 7 a.m. begin the game of ìmusical parking spaces,î driving from one lot to another to find a legal spot. Some people drive off post to park on city streets while others create their own ìspacesî in fire lanes, crosswalks or just about any open space, many creating safety hazards and running the risk of finding a parking ticket on their windshields when they return.

Walter Reed is a military installation located in an urban area with limited space for building and parking. The federal standard for dedicated parking allows one parking space for every three employees. Walter Reedís mission has expanded over the years and so has its staff and patients.

In the late 1970s, the addition of Abrams Hall and its garage brought 487 spaces, dedicated mainly to its residents. The construction of Rumbaugh garage added 1,155 spaces, in 1993.

In 1995, construction of the Borden Pavilion eliminated a number of parking spaces in a lot where the building is now located.

In 1999, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) relocated to Forest Glen, but the move did not seem to ease the parking situation on the main installation.

With the beginning of the Global War on Terror in 2001, the (WRAMC) patient census began to rise in 2002. By 2003, the hospital was reaching maximum bed capacity.

Plans for an underground parking garage below Bldg. T-2 were scrapped after the project was deemed too costly, according to Nino Fleri of WRAMCís Directorate of Public Works and Planning.

Fleri said conceptual designs were completed in 2004 for the 500-space, multi-level garage to be built in the parking lot near where WRAMC firehouse is located. The $10 million project was awaiting funding when the 2005 Base Realignment and Closures law curtailed construction plans at WRAMC.

All the while, Walter Reedís patient count continued to climb and the number of employees commuting to the post increased, although officials have long urged employees to carpool and use public transportation.

In March 2007, the first military staffers assigned to establish the new Warrior Transition Brigade began arriving. Able Troop was activated in April 2007 and Battle Company and Chosen Battery were activated in June of the same year.

Col. Bruce Haselden, WRAMC Garrison commander whose office oversees WRAMC parking, said the increase in Soldiers and their Families staying on post contributed to the parking situation here.

ìWeíre almost at 95 percent occupancy rate,î said Haselden.

He said the garrison is currently supervising approximately $42 million in projects and approximately another $13.5 million planned to be awarded this year.

Officials are uncertain of the number of contractors and subcontractors will be on the post for capitol improvement and construction projects. These contractors are not included in contract employee counts.

ìAs a garrison, we are steadily growing óhiring people. Every time we hire 10 people, seven of them bring their vehicles,î said Garrison Command Sgt. Major Rolando Moore.

Former WRAMC senior master planner Marjorie Marcus told the Stripe in October 2003, that the last parking-space-to-employee study conducted here estimated there was about a 1-to-1.7 ratio of at that time. A review of current statistics shows that ratio to be approximately one space for every 2.88 employees.

The WRAMC Department of Public Works and Planning estimates just over 3,000 spaces available for employee parking.

Walter Reed experienced a 16.82 percent increase in military personnel, 3 percent increase in federal employees, and an 85.29 percent increase in the number of contractors reporting to work at the post, according to the Army Stationing and Installation Plan (ASIP). The plan indicates a 12.64 percent overall increase in Walter Reed staffing since 2003.

Whatís the solution to Walter Reedís parking challenges? Part three of this series of articles examines specific parking issues and the post officialsí plans to help alleviate the situation.