The early morning sounds of construction are not ending anytime soon near Founders Hall. The construction taking place where West Hall and the Family and Consumer Sciences building once stood will continue until the later half of November.
“We were supposed to be done in October,” Senior Project Manager Ryan Miller said.
“When we took down West Hall, the wall that connected it to Founders was not what we anticipated. We’ve had to do some additional design work to provide more structural support for the brick wall that will go up. That’s delaying us a bit.”
Along with the delays, the determination of what exactly is going into the new space has not yet been completed. As the University is looking to centralize a lot of the memorials, one of the proposed ideas for the space is to make a memorial garden.
“There are a couple different things that are being kicked around,” University spokesman Dave Kielmeyer said. “One is a memorial grove that would honor both alumni and students who have served and lost their lives in military service. It would also recognize others on campus who have made contributions to the University and have since passed.”
What is known is that the area will be a green space that will provide a more open entry into the heart of campus.
“What you’ll see is an irrigated lawn area with a double row of trees planted that will go from one end of Founders to the other,” Miller said.
Tasks that need to be completed by November include tunnel work, sidewalk resurfacing, topsoil and irrigation installation, tree planting, restructuring on the wall that connected West Hall to Founders and re-pavement in Lot 11 beside Founders.
“Fixing the structures above the tunnels to get them up to our new standards is a project that was added,” Miller said. “The existing tunnel top was in poor condition. Now they will be able to hold heavier things like fire trucks.”
Kielmeyer noted, overall, this construction project has gone very well.
Miller agrees and looks forward to the completion of the new space.
“Residence Life and Honors have been really good about understanding when you make progress, sometimes you have some inconveniences,” Miller said.
Miller added that this new area will be a hang-out spot that students will enjoy.
“It should be really nice when it’s done. I think people will find a new appreciation for that court yard,” Miller said. “Founders was always hidden away by buildings. This will bring it back to life.”
