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DAILY KENT STATER 2010 ORIENTATION ISSUE
08.25.2010
Campus renovations continue; to be complete by homecoming Kyle Reynolds and Nick Glunt Daily Kent Stater
Though incoming freshmen and transfer students may not notice, returning students may have to pause and soak in the results of Kent State’s summertime construction and renovations. The university’s main campus has begun a $200 million renovation process and a total of $353 million in renovations for main campus and all the regional campuses combined. The most noticeable project of the summer has been the construction and renovations in Risman Plaza. “We were redesigning some of the overall design of the plaza to get some more green space and areas for student seating,” University Architect Michael Bruder said. “We also took down the fountain and built a new fountain.” President Lester Lefton said the plaza renovations are part of a plan to attract more students to Kent State. He said more students will be encouraged to attend Kent State once they see the new plaza. Right by Risman Plaza, the library’s first floor is undergoing renovations. “It is primarily interior finishes, including new flooring, ceilings, lights and furniture,” Bruder said.
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It is primarily interior finishes, including new flooring, ceilings, lights and furniture. MICHAEL BRUDER, UNIVERSITY ARCHITECT, SPEAKING ABOUT THE LIBRARY RENOVATIONS
Over the summer, fences were set up in Risman Plaza to detour students away from the construction site. These fences will be removed by the time students return to campus in late August. Construction in the plaza should be complete by homecoming weekend, Bruder said. There will be construction teams doing detail work, but there will be nothing to “affect the general day-to-day travels of students.” Bruder said the construction in Risman Plaza is set to cost $2.8 million, while the budget for the library renovations is $1.1 million. Both figures are on track as of Aug. 3. Halls, both academic and residential, have received similar facelifts. The Music and Speech Center received an addition with the Roe Green Center, home to the School of Theatre and Dance that includes some new dance studios, a new theater space and a new entry lobby. McDowell Hall and the Michael Schwartz
Center received bathroom renovations. Those in McDowell Hall are due to the age of the building. The university has upgraded the plumbing systems and bathroom fixtures, said Dan White, associate director of administrative operations in residence services. “In McDowell, we gutted the bathrooms and put in all new fixtures and plumbing, as well as some work with the fire alarms and HVAC systems,” White said. The plan to renovate McDowell had been in the works since last summer when its neighbor Beall Hall was renovated for the same reasons. They couldn’t have both shut down at the same time, White said, so they modernized one at a time. Residence services helped to bring the residence halls up to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, White said. Some of these projects included fixing a shower in Beall Hall that had a hump that was too large for a wheelchair to go over it and gutting a lobby bathroom in Prentice Hall that was not ADA compliant. Kent State should continue to see more renovations for as long as the university’s renovation plan carries on. Contact general assignment reporter Kyle Reynolds at kreynol3@kent.edu and administration reporter Nick Glunt at nglunt@kent.edu.
EMMA BORRELLI | SUMMER KENT STATER
Construction workers conduct renovations between White Hall and Moulton Hall. Other renovation projects being done on campus include work at the Music and Speech Center, the installation of the Sculpture Mile and the work on Risman Plaza.