Bulldozers, displaced dirt, jack hammering and orange mesh fencing have attracted attention on East Campus this semester.
This construction is part of the installation of a chilled water piping system—which provides air conditioning—that will run through the Biddle Music Building on East Campus, John Noonan, associate vice president for facilities management, wrote in an e-mail.
Noonan said the construction began Jan. 11 and was delayed periodically due to snow and rain. To date, the project is 95 percent complete, he said. The remaining work includes the restoration of disturbed areas and isolation valve installation for Bell Tower, Blackwell and Randolph Residence Halls, Noonan added. These valves can be closed to isolate problems that occur in the piping system.
The construction is spread across East, most notably behind Pegram, Biddle and along the walkway between Brodie Recreation Center and the East Campus Quadrangle. When contacted, administrators for Residence Life and Housing Services said they did not know details regarding the construction and referred requests for comment to Noonan.
Still, the noise generated by the construction has stirred discontent among students.
“When you’re trying to do work or trying to go to bed, [noise from construction work] becomes a little bit of an issue,” said freshman Aditya Palepu, who lives in Pegram Residence Hall.
Freshman Gabriela Arredondo-Santisteban added that the construction is affecting students’ ability to get around campus.
“I have class in Biddle and they block off that one sidewalk that’s right between Alspaugh [Residence Hall] and Pegram,” she said. “So it’s really tedious to walk around the other side, especially when I’m late for class.”
Noonan said the department considers the project a success, and said he is not aware of any student-reported complaints.
“We always think through the potential impacts to the campus community during the project planning phase,” he added. He said a tentative plan was submitted to RLHS and Lilly Library last December.
Pegram resident Julie Rivo, a freshman, noted that students received no notice that the construction would take place and that she was not aware of concessions being made to accommodate students.
“There was virtually no communication,” she said. “It’s kind of messed up.”
As the project’s conclusion nears, students said they are eager for a return to normalcy.
“I hope they finish quickly, so I can sleep well,” Rivo said.
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