CLARKSVILLE, TN – F&M Bank Arena will begin hosting major events in the next few months, but the two parking garages intended to support those events won’t be built until this fall at the earliest. In response, Austin Peay State University is opening its parking lots to arena visitors.

APSU owns several parking lots near the downtown arena, and it will open up those spaces to paid parking when arena events do not conflict with University events, according to a news release Monday afternoon.

“We’re excited to support the F&M Bank Arena by designating some of our lots for its visitors to use,” Rasheda Smith, APSU director of Parking and Transportation, said in the release. “Our priority remains providing parking for our students, faculty and staff, and if there is no conflict with University events, we’ll provide these spaces for the community.”

Fee will be charged

Patrons will have the ability to prepay and reserve parking at Austin Peay for major events. APSU will charge a parking fee based on the demand, the event and the lot’s proximity to the arena.

The university will have parking personnel staffing parking lots on College Street during major events at the arena, and patrons will be able to pay attendants using a card. However, APSU is not accepting cash to park. For smaller events or area parking on nights and weekends, patrons can use the ParkMobile app – which is also used by the City of Clarksville for downtown parking.

In the coming weeks, signs will go up to alert visitors which lots are available to pay for parking and which are strictly for University use. Austin Peay’s parking team will be hosting university only and community-wide town halls online to share more information and answer questions. The university employee only town hall is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 27, and the community-wide town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 11. Registration information for these events, as well as other important parking information, can be found at https://www.apsu.edu/parking.