A special section of The Optimist
FROM THE THAT’S WHAT EDITOR’S DESK SHE SAID MARISSA JONES EDITOR IN CHIEF
Taking a deeper look into ACU’s Vision in Action Abilene Christian University received three donations equaling $55 million in February. These large gifts have laid the foundation to fund the construction of a major
dium, big for engineering students conducting large-scale experiments on campus. But this initiative will have a much farther reach than just the science and athletic departments. So Optimist But this initiative will reporters asked some have a much farther reach questions: Where will the English and psychology than just the science and departments be moved athletic departments.” to? How are our neighbors responding to the impending project? Will student parking be affected? As this significant project begins, it’s important science complex and two that we understand how it stadiums. will affect our past, presAlso known as ACU’s Vi- ent and future as it changsion in Action, this initia- es the face of our campus. tive is projected to begin next fall and to ultimately cost $75 million. contact jones at This is big – big for athmnj10a@acu.edu letes playing in a new sta-
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INSIDE THIS issue Faculty concerns about space are addressed as departments move buildings.
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The possibility of building plans affecting ACU’s neighbors has led to concerns
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Construction of a two new stadiums will affect ACU parking.
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Ambler Avenue will be revamped as ACU improves campus.
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02 The Optimist
PRESERVING
THE PAST
Chambers and Bennett’s legacies are remembered as construction begins. By Brittany Jackson Jarred Schuetz Staff Photographer
Construction workers move quickly to transform Bennett Gymnasium into an engineering lab as a part of Vision in Action.
“I
met my wife here,” said Dr. Charlie Marler. “We were both in the same class. We did date a little bit in the library when we had to, when we had assignments that made it necessary.” Marler, now professor emeritus and senior faculty of journalism and mass communication, spent countless hours dining in the Bean, going on dates with his wife to-be in the library and accumulating college memories with friends before graduating in 1955. Now, almost 60 years later, Marler will watch as the age-old Chambers Hall is leveled to make way for a new science facility. Chambers will be the first of the original buildings on campus to be demolished. Though, as years pass, more buildings on campus will age and the university will have to decide – destroy or remodel?
Billie Currey, interim vice president for advancement, said destroying such a historic building is the last resort. “I would say that we think it’s very important that we’re stewards of the gifts that people give us,” he said. “And so, if someone has given us the funds to build a building, then we want to make sure that we do everything possible to take advantage of that and to use it and preserve it as long as possible.” Bennett Gym, another original campus building, is being remodeled into facilities for the Department of Engineering and Physics. It was home to many basketball and volleyball games over the years, as well as special events. Zona Luce housed an elementary and high school for Abilene Christian Schools and then served as the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences building until last year, when it began housing the School of Nursing. Chambers itself served as a library, housekeeping rooms, the Optimist ofDestruction as a last resort fice, the cafeteria and now, the home of After a fire destroyed the original Ad- the Department of Language and Literaministration Building in North 1st Street ture and the Department of Psychology. and funds were acquired, a seven-buildThe original buildings’ infrastructures ing campus plan was created. In 1929, have held up well to this day, with the exAbilene Christian College opened the ception of Chambers, said Kevin Roberts, Hardin Administration Building, Cham- chief planning and information officer. bers Hall, Sewell Auditorium, Zellner Hall, McDonald Hall and the Zona Luce History plays a part Building. Bennett Gymnasium opened Roberts said when deciding Chamlater in the year because of construction ber’s future, a lot of it came down to the delays. building itself. Chambers is showing its During the past 75 years, these build- age. It has been added on to and remodings have served campus in many differ- eled several times. Its air conditioning, ent ways. heating and plumbing systems are 40
years old, the offices are cramped, and the building is inaccessible to anyone with mobility issues. “That’s embarrassing,” he said. “We don’t need to have that. That’s just not who we are, and certainly not what we aspire to be.” Currey said the university wants to hold on to its buildings as long as they’re useful. “But there comes a time when you just can’t change it again. Its useful life is over when that point is reached.” University leaders decided Chambers was too dilapidated to remodel. Foster Science Building, which was constructed in 1948, itself has gone through two renovations. One added an east and west wing, and another remodeled the center of the building. In time, history is certain to repeat itself as buildings continue to age on campus. Thirty-three years after the construction of these buildings, another fundraising campaign spread across the university. “Design for Development” was led by the National Development Council and resulted in a campus-wide construction project. Nine new structures, including the Brown Library, McGlothlin Campus Center, Moody Coliseum and Don H. Morris Center were built. Given the original buildings’ current lifespan of about 75 years, these buildings are far from having to be destroyed, but remodeling is always an option. Especially with the increasing amount of interest and number of applicants for the university, ACU will have to evaluate
the future of the campus as a whole. As for the buildings, countless families have invested in this university and its mission, with their names on buildings being the most forefront evidence. Destroying the buildings, or even remodeling them, superficially removes those names from the legacy. The university will have to think of a way to reconcile this loss to the families and a way to continue their history here on campus. “It’s a balancing act all the time, trying to preserve that heritage...if at all possible, we always try to save a building and refurbish it as opposed to losing it,” Roberts said. “Especially some of the classically historic buildings.” Reconciling the loss In the future, Currey said the university would resolve this matter by communicating with donors’ families. “If it were possible to go back and find folks who were around who were family members, we would have conversations with them,” he said. “I think it’s probably too strong to say that they could veto [a decision], but we would certainly talk with them.” In fact, Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, said conversations had taken place with
the Bennett family. They discussed the preservation of the building and advancement plans the university had drawn up. “You want to honor the spirit of what the family desired,” he said. “I think those families realize the institutional needs change over time, but it’s still a partnership and a relationship that you want to thoughtful of.” To preserve the legacy of the donors, the university has set up plaques in buildings, especially those that were renovated in the past. Such memorials can be seen in the Phillips Building, which was the Burford Music Center, as well as the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, which houses the former Gibson Health and Physical Education Center. As for the new buildings, plaques remembering the Chambers as well as the Bennetts will be placed either in or nearby the buildings. They will mention the families’ contributions to the campus as well as past purposes of the building. For Bennett Gym, specifically, Roberts said part of the flooring will be removed and placed in a showcase honoring its legacy of past athletic competitions. Bittersweet future
From now on, though, Currey said written agreements will be created between the university and donors seeking to fund the construction of a building on campus. The documents created in recent years have laid out how long a naming opportunity is in existence and what kind of say, if any, that donor has if the building were to be repurposed, burnt down or otherwise destroyed. “We haven’t always had those types of documents here, especially when you go back to 1929,” Currey said. “We don’t have any documents that concern all of that, but I think it is important to say that we are cognizant, once again, of the importance that those families and their gifts have played in our role here.” Marler said he has spoken with some alumni about the destruction of Chambers, they responded with astonishment and disappointment. But, he said, they were accepting after learning of the advancement plans. “If you take out the interior and do something, that’s sad,” he said. “But if you take out the exterior, too, and take it totally down, that’s really sad.” contact jackson at bkj12a@acu.edu
1929 Chambers was opened and originally served as a dining hall, kitchen and some womenʼs housing.
1943 Chambers became menʼs housing during WWII because of the small number of male students.
TODAY Chambers housed English and psychology until being transformed into the Halbert-Walling Research Center.
The History of chambers
1936 Chambers became the universityʼs library until 1969.
1955 The cafeteria was moved out of Chambers, making room for a three-story library.
Designs unify buildings’ styles matt sloan sports director ACU’s newest plan to construct several buildings have brought the issue of building expenses to the forefront. The university also wants to continue to create harmony between the new and old structures on campus. Decades ago, ACU’s buildings were constructed differently for several reasons, and even went through a period of relative frugality. However, the Hunter Welcome Center, Williams Performing Arts Center and the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center represent the intricate and expensive buildings people have become accustomed to seeing around campus. A brief history of ACU’s buildings shows the buildings are changing because of a shift in the type of students ACU is recruiting, the primary universities ACU is competing with for students and a changing landscape in architectural style. In ACU’s infancy, several buildings with the “classic” look were considered elegant for the time period. For example, the Hardin Administration Building’s steps, coupled with the large vertical columns, reflect the architectural style of the day. The Administration Building, and other buildings like it, reflect the architectural style of the time period.
“My guess is that if you talked to someone in the ‘40s or the ‘50s, they would say ‘Wow these buildings are gorgeous,’” said Chief Planning and Information Officer Kevin Roberts. “Certainly, with buildings like the Administration building and some of those iconic buildings we have on campus, there is no way you could ever say these weren’t beautiful buildings.” As time went on, there was a subtle shift in the university’s focus when it came to constructing buildings. Attempts to make ACU more affordable lead the university’s leadership to focus more on efficiency, as opposed to making the buildings appear sophisticated. “In each generation and each decade, the board has done the best that they could do with the resources they had,” said Dr. Charles Marler, professor emeritus in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. “The big change came in Dr. Stevens’ administration. They were trying to hold the line on tuition. A major way to do that was with the buildings that were built then. With Sikes, Morris dorm and the Sherrod apartments, you could say there was a step back in the quality and the ambiance. But it was driven by the administrative philosophy. That was a change of direction that did not continue with other administrations.” However, when taking a step back and viewing ACU’s history as a whole, the uni-
versity has frequently made aesthetic beauty an important criterion in the construction of buildings. In fact, the construction of Sikes, Morris and the Sherrod apartments do not reflect ACU’s traditional attitude when adding to the campus. In more recent history, ACU’s push for a more well-rounded campus has lead them to recruit different types of students. Instead of students choosing primarily between other Church of Christ schools, many prospective ACU students are picking between ACU and other Texas schools such as Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech. ACU’s new competition could also be effecting the way ACU tries to construct buildings, in hopes of comparing favorably to those schools. Changes in architectural style also lead to an altered appearance of the newer buildings as opposed to older ones. “I read once that architecture over the years winds up providing civilization with an open air museum,” said Gary McCaleb, vice president and the executive director for the Center for Building Community. “You can go to an art museum and see some of the great paintings of the 1800s and nobody is going to take them down and throw them away because they increase in value every year. But, they are also not the way anybody is going to paint today. There is a more contemporary way to do it.
In a way, it is the same way with buildings on ACU’s campus.” While balancing all of these different ideas, ACU has made an effort to balance the older buildings with the newer ones and give the campus a sense of unity. “The buildings started with a unified neoclassical style,” said Ronnie Rama, associate professor of architecture. “Then over the years there have been different attempts to stay with the times. I think in the past 20 years, there have been some efforts at looking for unity and looking for elements that will unify. The architectural style may not be the same for the building, but they are looking for features and elements that would give the campus a sense of unity.” Overall, the progression of ACU buildings over the last 100 years has been a product of many different time periods, but the university hopes to continue to build modern buildings while also creating harmony between the new and old buildings. “The Hunter Welcome Center is a good example of a link building,” Rama said. “The building creates a link between the traditional architecture of the campus.” contact sloan at bkj12a@acu.edu
GROWING PAINS Faculty concerns about space are addressed as departments move buildings By Linsey Thut
04 The Optimist
VIA Renderings
Adjacent page: Foster Science Building will be transformed to the Onstead Center. Chambers will be torn down and replaced by The Halbert-Walling Research Center. Left: Some departments that reside in Chambers will be moved to other locations. Above: The science quad will include the Onstead Center and Halbert-Walling Research Center.
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r. Kim Pamplin, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said he is excited to see how the new HalbertWalling Research Center and the Onstead Center buildings will enrich his students. “We’re really looking forward to some newer space, some prettier space and some more functional space,” Pamplin said. He is excited to use the innovative tools provided by the labs in the new buildings, he said. “We have been working toward this for a long, long time,” Pamplin said. “We do a great job with the facilities that we have, but we feel like there are some limitations with the current facility that we can’t get past until we have some new facilities.” Despite Pamplin’s excitement, a few aspects of the building plans still worried him. “We will be limited by the space,” Pamplin said. “Whether that’s enough space to accommodate all the students or not, I don’t know.” This fear, among others, circled the minds of many of the faculty until a change in the building logistics was made to appease their worries. While the $55 million being invested into the new buildings is absolute, how that money is being spent is still unclear. Recently, a revision was made to the building plans that addresses concerns of many of the faculty members regarding the space and use of the new buildings. Concerns emerged while discussing the construction of the Halbert-Walling Research Center and Onstead Center that included space distribution, classroom logistics and the allowance of growth within the buildings. Changes have been made in an attempt to resolve these concerns, as well as consolidate departments.
Consolidation The initial plan for the new buildings was to house all the residents from Chambers Hall, as well as the science and math departments, in the new Onstead building. But Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost, said this plan was faulty. “The challenge with that was it worked space-wise, but it was tight for everybody,” Rhodes said. Now the administration is looking to move the Chambers’ residents to different locations around campus to better accommodate everyone. Rhodes said the old plan seemed right only for current size of the departments. “I think the biggest issue, initially, was space,” Rhodes said. “We had very little room for growth in any of the programs.” Rhodes said it makes more sense for the Department of Language and Literature to move to the Hardin Administration Building because history and political science are housed there already. “We have some of the humanities that would be there together,” Rhodes said. The Department of Psychology has a clinic in McKinzie Hall, so moving that department there is also logical, Rhodes said. “This gives us the opportunity to consolidate some of our disciplines,” Rhodes said. Dr. Jeff Arrington, associate professor of physics and vice president of student life, is part of a planning committee for the new buildings. He said finding the exact fit for every department was like working a Rubik’s Cube. “There’s a huge opportunity to make some strategic moves, but all of those are interconnected,” Arrington said. When constructing the plans for the buildings, Arrington said the first priority was keeping the culture of each department intact and finding a plan that worked for each department. “Our students and our faculty develop great relationships,” Arrington said. “You
don’t want to destroy all that in the process of thinking how we create and use space.” The new plan attempts not only to consolidate departments, but also to address the concerns of faculty members.
they need to grow. “I’m glad we did it strategically because the sciences needed support,” Straughn said. “We didn’t need to degrade their capacities to grow and to flourish.” The revision to the building plan also atSparse Space tempts to alleviate faculty members’ fears When the plan was to move Chambers’ of the buildings not providing room for residents to the Onstead building with the growth. science and math departments, many faculty members expressed worries about hav- Growth Restrictions ing restricted space. Dr. Tom Lee, professor and chair of the “Between Chambers and Foster, after the biology department, said he feared the new renovation and construction, will there be buildings would limit the growth of the scienough new space in those new facilities for ence departments, causing them to turn those six departments to not just exist, but students away. grow?” Pamplin said. Upon hearing about the science and He said his biggest fear had been turning math departments receiving all the room students away for a lack of space in the On- in the Onstead building, Lee said it was a stead building. positive development and a step in the right “I don’t want to be in the situation where direction. I have to say ‘Sorry, we can’t teach the stu“I think that the sciences, in order to grow, dents our recruiters have brought in be- need additional space, and this will provide cause we don’t have enough space in these that,” Lee said. brand new buildings we just got through building,’” Pamplin said. A Newfound Confidence However, Pamplin said the new revision In the end, Pamplin said the new buildto the plan has eased his fears. ings will provide his department and other “I haven’t seen any specifics post this re- sciences with the tools they need to make a vision, but I can’t imagine that any depart- difference in students’ lives. ment that’s in the Onstead Building will “I feel more confident now that we will have less space,” Pamplin said. have the continued support and facilities to He said while there are still a few issues have some of our research labs at a level that that worry him about the buildings, like the we’ve been accustomed to,” Pamplin said. separation of the labs, which will be in the However, he said he is still cautious about Halbert-Walling Research Center, the new making sure every department, Chambers’ plan is much closer to what the sciences residents included, receive the space it need. needs to grow. “I’m very excited,” Pamplin said. “I’m “I don’t want to be in the position of hedging a little bit, but it provides the op- getting the new toys of the party, only if it portunity to get to a place where we want to means somebody else had to give up the be.” last few classrooms that they had in order Dr. Gregory Straughn, dean of the College for us to get something new,” Pamplin said. of Arts and Sciences, said he agreed the former plans were too tight of a fit for everyone. contact thut at Straughn said the new plans for the OnLCT10a @acu.edu stead Building give the sciences the room
BEING A GOOD
NEIGHBOR
The possibility of building plans affecting ACU’s neighbors has led to concerns By Kirsten Holman
Deanna romero chief Photographer
Cindy Earles has been ACU’s neighbor for more than 20 years. She lives in a house adjacent to ACU property that could be developed into a parking lot to accomodate the news stadium.
“W
e have been in this house 22 years next month, and for the eight years before that we lived four houses down the street,” said Cindy Earles, resident on Rountree Drive. Earles is one of the residents on Rountree Drive that could be effected by the universities plans to build the new stadium. If the university needs to, it will expand and build a parking lot on the empty 10.5 acre property across Ambler Avenue, which backs up to the houses on Rountree Drive and the alley way behind the houses located on Cloverleaf Lane. However, plans to build a parking lot on the property is uncertain. “We don’t know if we are going to build a parking lot there for sure or not,” said Kevin Roberts, vice president of planning and operations at ACU. “What we said that is if in fact we determine that we need more parking, that’s the likely place that we will put it.” Earles said plans to develop the empty lot have been discussed in the past. “Through the years we had heard about various things about building, and there was a discussion a long time ago about putting an apartment complex over there,” she said. “Well, none of us were really excited about that but we never heard anything official about that. But we had not heard anything in quite a while about what might be built over here.”
06 The Optimist
Earles and her neighbors received letters about a town hall meeting which took place the day ACU announced the building of the new stadium and the science projects. Neighbors gathered on Feb. 14 at Abilene Christian Schools to discuss the details of the project. Roberts said they showed the drawings of the plans to the neighbors to help further explain what would happen, and to address the fears and confusion the neighbors expressed. Roberts said at one point the neighbors thought the stadium would be built in the empty lot across Ambler Avenue. “People had questions, as you would expect, so they wanted to know if the parking lot was going to go all the way back up to their houses and what’s that going to look like, and how are we going to control traffic getting in and out of games,” he said. “We had a very vested interest, is what I described to them. I want this to look nice as well I don’t want to build something that looks ugly and unbecoming because it is our front door. And I think that kind of helped quell some of their concerns, which again they were all very valid and I completely understood what they were concerned about.” Marie Cotton, resident on Cloverleaf Lane, said she was concerned about an increase of traffic on the alley way behind her house, which backs up to the empty lot. The residents that live on Cloverleaf Lane use the alley way to access their garages, so traffic along the alley way would be undesirable. Cotton said she is pleased apartments
will not be built in the empty lot, but, if a parking lot is developed, would like to see a separating barrier between the alley way and the lot. Jon James, director of planning and development services for the city of Abilene, was also at the town hall meeting. “There were a few concerned neighbors that just had some concerns about traffic and what might go on that property longterm,” he said. “And in an approval by the city council, they placed some conditions on that property that would help address some of those concerns. For example, there is an alley on the north end of that property and the university will have to put up a fence to prevent cars from leaving the parking lot to go out that alley through the neighborhood. So people coming in and out of the parking lot could only come from Ambler.” Aaron Miller, resident on Rountree Drive, said he doesn’t mind if a parking lot is built in the empty lot behind his house. He said he would only mind if they decided to use the alley way next to his house, separate from the alley way located on Cloverleaf Lane, as an entrance and exit for the parking lot. However, Miller said if they do plan to build a parking lot, the alley way next to his house will be closed off to traffic. “The thing we tried to reiterate to the folks that live over there is that we want to be good neighbors, we don’t want to do anything that is going to harm their neighborhood or anything like that,” Roberts said. Earles said her and her family do not
mind if a parking lot is built behind their house either. “It really does not bother us,” she said. “That lot back there has been used as a parking lot for years anyway, it was just not a paved parking lot.” Earles said the property is used as a parking lot during the Fourth of July, and in the spring for playoff softball and baseball games, track meets and practice track meets. “In the spring we just kind of expect for people to be parked over there because of all the activities at this end of the campus,” she said. Earles said it might be beneficial to pave what is already being used as a parking lot. “There have been instances where cars and pickup trucks have gotten out there and found a soft spot and gotten stuck,” she said. Earles said she hopes that if a parking lot is built, something will also be done about the water that tends to come from the parking lot and run through their driveway. She also said having a paved parking lot behind her house could help her allergies. “I have really bad allergies, and when that big area is mowed of course there is a lot of debris in the air,” Earles said. “As far as dust and dirt and varmints that live out there in the field, I would be more than happy for them to clear that out.”
contact holman at keh09c@acu.edu
DRAWING LINES Construction of a two new stadiums will affect ACU parking. By Shera Niemirowski
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hirty minutes before kick-off, dozens of cars still circle the ACU campus trying to find a parking spot. Lacey circled around the ACU parking lots amid orange cones and hard hats trying to find a spot as her clock reflected her anguish as every minute passed. Parking is a huge factor in the new building and stadium plans ACU recently released, and while the university studies show the planned parking will be enough, some people on campus aren’t so sure. Everyone at ACU seems to agree the construction is worth it, although frustrations are inevitable especially when it comes to the already existing hassle of parking. The new plans show several changes in parking, both the taking away and adding of new spaces. ACU currently has roughly 860 parking spots within the lots on the north side of Moody Coliseum and Edwards Hall combined with the spaces on Oliver Jackson Blvd. In the mock-ups, which will surely change before the final project is completed, there is no real addition of parking. All 184 spaces along Oliver Jackson will be completely destroyed and replaced with new athletic facilities while the lots between Teague Special Events Center and Campus Court will experience a decrease of about 125 spots, leaving the space as one, larger lot with roughly 280 spots total. There are also tentative plans to add a parking lot with about 64 spaces off Campus Court between the soccer and softball fields, as well as a lot north of Crutcher Scott Field with 130 spaces. The change in parking raises an issue considering this very construction project’s goal; to make more people in the community and at ACU more involved. Kevin Roberts, chief planning and information officer, is confident parking will be dealt with throughout the construction process. “If we know we have a delivery of steel or something that will take up a significant amount of space we schedule that really tight so we don’t have an area blocked off for months,” Roberts said.
Roberts plans to take full advantage of the next few summer months while most students are out of town. “We’re trying to make sure that our calendar is laid out where we can do as much work as we can in the summer,” he said, “especially ones where we have to block off significant amounts of a parking lot and make that work as best we can during the summers.” To minimize the amount of extra vehicles on campus, all construction workers have an assigned parking lot off campus and will be shuttled to and from the construction sites, he said. The construction will bring detours and closed lots, but it is for the ultimate safety of everyone involved, including construction workers, Roberts said. “It’s a huge problem and it is one we spent a lot of time thinking about and so there will be times during the phasing of this project where its going to be inconvenient, and we hate that but safety and access for the guys working and those around it come first,” Roberts said.
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With football, one of the temptations is to build a lot of parking for this great stadium but then you start thinking, well, that’s eight days a year that this gets used.” Kevin roberts chief planning and information officer
A parking lot for overflow across Ambler Avenue is an option, but not in the plans at this time. Another thing to consider is the use of the parking that many said the campus needs. The new athletic facilities, namely, the football stadium, will only be used a few times a year. “With football, one of the temptations is to build a lot of parking for this great stadium but then you start thinking, well, that’s eight days a year that this gets used,” Roberts said, “and game days on Saturdays automatically
VIA Rendering
Construction of the new football stadium and soccer and track facility will cause parking to be changed. However, no plan has been made to significantly increase parking. eliminate most of the faculty and staff being on campus so those lots open up.” Roberts and the construction team will work closely with ACUPD throughout the next few years during ACU’s renovations. “The construction phase is pretty easy for us because it basically involves establishing the construction foot print and the closing off of that footprint area,” said Jimmy Ellison, ACU chief of police. ACUPD must consider the safety of students, faculty and staff and construction teams while supporting the integrity of the buildings and work. “When you block off a building, you not only have the space immediately around it, but you also have a large area called the lay down yard where they have an area to stack materials, lay down beams and things like that,” Ellison said. “It involves not only the safety area but also the construction area.” The construction for most of the new vision is still in the planning phases, and different options will be taken into consideration. “We still don’t know what the proposed foot print will look like for the athletic facilities, but I would expect major closures along Oliver Jackson and potentially even into the north Edwards lot,” Ellison said. The construction process can often present setbacks and changes, in which ACU will have to adjust and understand. “Once we do a closure for construction, it is closed completely. If we closed off a street or parking area, it is closed no matter what is going on, whether that be an event or tours,” Ellison said. Ellison is not worried about traffic, and compares it to any other large event hosted by ACU.
“I don’t think it’ll be any different than a large event at Moody Coliseum, Sing Song for example, we just deal with the parking and traffic plan. And people will get used to it on game day and people will park around that whether it be in lots or on streets or surrounding campus,” Ellison said. Students are split on how the new stadium and facilities will affect parking on game days. “We have too much faculty parking and not enough student parking, but I think the hassle now will be worth it once we have nice, new buildings,” said Hannah Knight, sophomore psychology major from Midlothian. Roberts and the construction team plan to foster an entirely new game day experience on ACU’s campus which will provide students with a campus-wide event. “So imagine on a game day if you’re parking and you’re coming to the game day festivities in the middle of campus, you kind of move across campus toward the stadium, and we really like that,” Roberts said. “We are working hard on rethinking the game day experience at ACU, and we have an opportunity as we build this new stadium to create new traditions that will surround game day, and we really would like game day to be the epicenter of campus.” Roberts and Ellison agree; construction of the new facilities will be an adjustment, but one certainly worthwhile. “Instead of looking at it as a few chaotic hours every Saturday, it could be looked at as a really exciting, vibrant atmosphere,” Ellison said. contact niemirowski at snn12a@acu.edu
Beautifying the entrance to Abilene
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Ambler ave.
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Planning to be focused on campus Kevin Roberts, vice president of planning and operations, said ACU’s plans to construct any retail and buildings on the plots are still in the planning stages. “ACU is prioritizing the way construction occurs on campus,” Roberts said. “We categorize [the changes] in three parts. The first one is any construction on campus, the second, around the campus and Lunsford Trail and the third is the surrounding areas.” Presently, the university is focusing on the fundraising, planning and building of the new stadium and departmental structures. Roberts said the donations to the university are focused on the presented plans. More fundraising is needed for further projects. “The university is definitely interested in developing the land around Ambler,” he said. “There have been discussions about parks, Paving the way to Abilene retailers and other possibilities. But for now, Abilene Christian University is one of the there are no set plans.” first architectural sites to welcome visitors off the interstate. I-20 brings travelers from Abilene supports development an unwavering drive to the sight of faded The City Council is working with ACU gold fields and 70-year-old houses of the city. to provide benefits for businesses that are
08 The Optimist
ACU property
By Denzil Lim From the four-wheelers to the dead skunks by the roadside, Ambler Avenue lacks the attractive features of a college-influenced town. The City Council of Abilene understands changes have to be made to provide a more receiving entrance for tourists. In addition, the areas surrounding the corner of Ambler Avenue from I-20 to the campus are owned by ACU. In a project to present a more welcoming city and university, ACU wants to beautify the surrounding areas and entrance from the freeway. The coming summers and semesters will be a time of planning and organization for ACU to restructure and revamp the plots. The land on both sides of Ambler Avenue will receive a face-lift, as parks, greenery, shops and other facilities will be built for the public and campus in the next few years. For those who love burritos, Chipotle might not be a just a dream anymore.
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Ambler Avenue will be revamped as ACU improves campus
n 2007, ACU petitioned to the City Council to rename Ambler to University Avenue. The stretch from I-20 to Grape Street is a major pipeline for businesses. The same street containing two universities and other retailers and restaurants is an entryway to the city. Because Ambler is a vital structure to Abilene, ACU wanted to rename it to give visitors an idea of what resides on the avenue they are traveling on. However, on Aug. 24, 2007, the university withdrew the request because of concerns for public safety and confusion by having a street named University Avenue. Kevin Watson, associate vice president for administration and chief operations officer in 2007, said, “There’s already a University Boulevard behind Hardin-Simmons, [which may cause] confusion related to that name change. What we’ve said is we’re interested to do what’s best for the city as well.” Because of the similar street names, the change would have caused issues for 911 calls or emergency situations. Businesses on Ambler would also have to file paperwork for the change of address and it seemed to be too much work just to rename a street. According to another story in the Optimist written by Jared Field, previous editor in chief of the Optimist, Phil Schubert, the executive vice president for finances then, said, “I think it can get done and would be disappointed if it didn’t. Other than [the confusion], I’d be very surprised if we didn’t get that done.” Even though years have passed, ACU has chosen not to pursue the renaming of the street. Ambler Avenue will continue to retain its name. Though the university has no plans on re-petitioning the change, it is considering a different move to beautify the entrance to Abilene.
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ACU Campus Marissa Jones editor in chief
ACU is working with the city to improve the area surrounding the entrance from the freeway. erected on the plots. The Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, was created on Dec. 5, 2013 to promote the development and redevelopment of the zone that would not occur through private investment. The TIRZ ensures future businesses that the city will use the taxes for any public works, payments and improvements on the zone. Individuals are assured that the tax dollars are used to its best advantage for those areas. This agreement means any type of development on the determined zone will be taxed like other businesses around the city. However, all the tax dollars collected will not go to the city’s funds, but returned into the contracted zone. The money is used to facilitate more development. Even though the university has ownership of the plots and is able to choose when to develop, taxes will increase if any construction is implemented. As such, TIRZ provides an agreement to the 1,594 acres within south downtown, and along the Pine Street and Ambler Avenue corner to provide long-term economic benefits. “If we develop new businesses in the corridor of Ambler and Pine, any new taxes that come because of the new development, a portion of those dollars will be retained in this area,” said Kelly Young, vice president of Abilene Christian Investment Management Company, ACIMCO.
hoods around campus. Make it more vibrant and collegiate. Number two is to take unproductive vacant land and be able to make it financially productive to support the university. Number three is to partner with the city of Abilene on the area around I-20 so it is more attractive to visitors.” Young is currently working with a team of researchers and consultants from local companies to collect data on development. Before he is able to present a plan to the university, Young has to survey the consumer market, retail developers and financial costs of initiating construction. Next semester, Young will be notified whether the Board of Trustees will accept the proposal. If the project is denied, Young said the project will shelve and will be revisited in the future. “We just need to show the feasibility and financial capabilities of the project to be able to begin on development,” he said. While the research will flow into this summer, a short term plan to make the land near I-20 more attractive has begun. Young said the cleared land will mostly be dirt as the university has seeded the area for grass to allow easier development in the area. “The city of Abilene worked with us to clean up Rainey Creek, removing some old fencing and now we’re cleaning up debris piles and scrub brush,” he said. “Then, if longer term plans are feasible and we can find funding, we’ll try to put in walk or bike trails, ACIMCO to provide research data a covered pavilion, make the ponds more visAlthough ACU is interested in building ible and accessible and possibly have an outpark land, single residency houses, offices door sculpture in the park plans.” and different collegiate retail buildings, the university is in the research and vision stage. contact the optimist at “We have three primary goals,” Young said. optimist@acu.edu “Number one is to enhance the neighbor-