Campus construction projects include new parking spaces
The paving and striping of several gravel lots, which is part of the “loop” road project, will also provide additional parking, he adds. The loop road project will get underway in July, beginning in front of the warehouses across from the public safety building, according to Therese Rosier, director of Physical Plant. The road will be closed in sections as work progresses on the $4.4 million project, which in addition to the loop road includes curbs, sidewalks, improvement of the infrastructure, storm sewers, and the paving of two gravel lots, she says. “This is not a very glamorous project, but it will have a number of benefits to campus,” she adds. The gravel lots at the Maxwell Alumni House and on Stovall Street will be paved, which will cut down on the dust and dirt now generated. New storm sewers will prevent the large puddles that accumulate after a rain. New roadways will eliminate the potholes that currently exist on the road in front of the warehouses. And student traffic won’t be emptying onto neighborhood streets. The new road will “loop” around campus so that students can drive around the university without leaving the grounds, Ms. Rosier explains. The project will also allow for new landscaping, which the Physical Plant has used in the past to create a new sense of “place” on campus. Brick walkways, park benches, new signage, and even Jaguar paw prints define a new look to campus. “With so much construction going on over the past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of things that the university wouldn’t have been able to fund otherwise,” she says. “For instance, installing a new sanitary sewer system in the Arsenal Quadrangle allowed us to use the manhole cover as a design element. The design, created by Mary Jo Luta in public relations and publications, reflects our historical connection to the Augusta Arsenal,” Rosier says. After the installation of the new system in the Quad, the brick walkways will be re-laid and broadened, a stage will be added, and a cannon that was formerly on display in front of Payne Hall will be placed. “Maintaining a visual historical connection to the arsenal is something that we’ve tried to do whenever and wherever practical,” she says. Free-standing columns (similar to those on the History Walk) have been incorporated into the design of the new amphitheater, which connects it visually to the older buildings on campus. The amphitheater, which will be located at the site of the former Hardy Hall, will face inward toward campus. It will provide seating for approximately 550 persons and offers 10-feet of grass between tiers to accommodate others. The lighted stage includes an acoustical shell covering, and it will be able to accommodate almost any type activity. The design is in the final stages, and no date has been determined for the completion of the amphitheater. Located next to the amphitheater will be a new sports field, which will provide on-campus recreational and leisure space. It will be located at the site of the former building, Butler Hall. “Another project that will be an extremely good thing for us, but that is difficult to ‘see’ the advantages is a new addition to the energy plant,” Ms. Rosier says. The $2.8 addition to the plant will provide the existing central energy loop with two additional chillers, a boiler, cooling tower, and several offices. Not so glamorous—but it’s another step in creating the new campus of Augusta State University. Other News Stories: Commencement | Faculty and Staff Appreciation | Nursing | ROTC Commissioning | Campus Construction | Lyceum | Cullum | Sandarg Award | Physical Plant Award | ITS
May 2006 |
Finding a parking place this fall will be easier as 125 new parking spaces open up and a new 15-space handicapped parking lot is added. The new parking is in addition to the redesign of several lots to accommodate more vehicles, says Jasper Cook, director of public safety.
