By Tara McLoughlin – News Editor
When students arrived for the 2011 fall semester, they were surprised to find that the school they had left months before had changed. There were now directory signs guiding cars through the campus, a freshly bricked round-a-bout, refurbished Bio Labs and a brand new building standing in the distance.
Students may have also forgotten about the major construction the campus is currently undergoing, including the construction of two new residence halls that were slated to be started by this time. But they were soon reminded when they were greeted by bulldozers, restriction signs, and large mounds of dirt in the parking lot that they once parked in. Part of the parking lot will continue to be closed off until the completion of building five (the easternmost building). Building five will be finished in the fall of 2012, while building six (the westernmost building) is expected by Thanksgiving of that same year. Although this is a major project, it is just one of the many new projects taking place on campus.
The old practice field is also in the process of being torn apart as well. According to Frank Mezzanini, Vice president of Business Affairs, this is because it is necessary in order to complete the new NCAA soccer/lacrosse field and parking garage that is going to be built on the current soccer field, with construction starting early November.
“The student athletes need a place to practice and compete. To do that we have to level the old practice field,” said Mezzanini
This is especially important because the parking garage and the field will take nine months to be built. It is hoped this project will be completed by June 30, 2012.
The practice field, which will soon be known as the NCAA Intramural field, will be ready for use by the end of October. It will be made the temporary main playing field for athletes. But the NCAA Intramural field will be required to follow strict rules and regulations to be playable for competition.
“15 feet of dirt was removed from the north end, 4 feet was added to the south end, and extensive damage was added to get it within NCAA specifications,” said Mezzanini.
In the future, Mezzanini hopes to add a running track around this field. However, this item still needs to be discussed further
A majority of the excess dirt from the soccer fields will be going into the northeast corner of the property, where a second intramural field will be located. This field will be open to everyone. The remaining dirt will be used to flatten out the bowl.
As for future projects, Mezzanini explains that there are several projects already planned out. In the course of the next few years, the admissions building, library loggia, Marmion Center and Crawford building, will all be redone. A new underground electrical system and site lighting will also be put into place as well.
To find out more information about the current construction projects, please visit www. SLUCONSTRUCTION.POSTEROUS.COM. Here you will be able to see a bird’s eye view of the construction sites, as well as video footage and links to four live cameras to watch the construction via the internet.
