The Peanut lot at the state's largest airport, so named because once you could literally park there for peanuts, is undergoing a renovation that will include new pavement and, likely, a new name eventually.
The closing of the 546-space economy lot at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field for up to 40 days beginning early next month isn't expected to create any problems for people who like to use it, airport officials said.
The lot accounts for just over 15 percent of the 3,490 paid parking spaces at the airport, which includes a parking deck, two short-term parking lots and one long-term parking lot, said Jim Bass, the airport's land-side operations customer care manager.
It can't hurt that Clinton National officials cut the price to park in the south long-term lot, which has 1,570 spaces and is the closest parking lot to the airport entrance.
Because of the inconvenience, while the Peanut lot is closed, airport officials have dropped the price to park at the long-term lot on the south side of the airport.
The cost to park there fell from $10 daily to $8 daily, which is the same price as at the Peanut lot.
"If anything, it's a pleasant surprise" for users of the long-term lot, said Bryan Malinowski, the deputy director at Clinton National. "They're paying $8 instead of $10."
The Peanut lot was closed to new customers beginning last week because it will take some time for the customers to return from their trips and collect their vehicles, Bass said.
The Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission's lease and consultant selection committee recommended to the commission Tuesday that the renovation contract be awarded to Redstone Construction Inc. of Little Rock.
Redstone said it could do the work on all three lots in 190 days for $340,076.92, easily besting the only other bidder, McCormick Works, also a Little Rock contractor. McCormick's bid was $1,055,551.49 for the 190-day option.
The work will include a new asphalt surface, crack cleaning and sealing, partial and full-depth asphalt repairs, pavement marking and concrete island paving.
Once the work at the Peanut lot is finished, Redstone will turn its attention to one section of the long-term lot left unfinished under previous projects.
The long-term lot won't be closed because the contractor will work on a small section at a time.
During a briefing on the work last month, airport officials raised the possibility of renaming the Peanut lot, which led to questions about how the name originated.
According to news accounts, the airport in late 1999 held a promotion called "Parking for Peanuts" to encourage people patronizing the airport to park at a new flat-rate lot on the east side of Airport Drive. On the opening day, people could park there for a bag of peanuts. After that, the rate was $3 a day.
The promotion came during an extensive construction period that included breaking ground on the parking deck, which was built on what was previously another parking lot.
Last month, airport officials speculated that the "Parking for Peanuts" promotion was a partnership with the Little Rock Zoo in which the peanuts were collected for the zoo's elephant.
That couldn't be confirmed, but in any case, the name "Peanut lot" stuck.
Ron Mathieu, the executive director at Clinton National, said a coming project to upgrade the airport signs might be a good time to change the name of the lot. While it is a familiar name for locals, it can leave visitors puzzled.
Other airports typically refer to their Peanut lots as economy lots or super saver lots, Mathieu said.
But Peanut lot?
"As more people come here, they have no idea what that means," he said.
Metro on 05/09/2018