THE August 30, 1988 Vol. 87, No. 2
41TISTA
Tuesday Edition
Central State University, Edmond, Oklahoma
Costs examined at lake hearing
The campus parking crunch has led some students to park on the grass south of the Liberal Arts
Building. (Photo by Daniel Smith)
Early parking solves woes Central State University students expecting to find a parking space in the mornings should leave 15 to 20 minutes early. This advice comes from CSU Police Chief Bob Roberts. "If you get here right at 9:30 a.m., expect to park on the outskirts of campus," he said. Enrollment at CSU is projected to be a near-record this semester, and with it comes overcrowded parking lots and commuter frustration. "I drove around for about 40 minutes trying in vain to park," said Terry Crow, a senior from Medicine Lodge, Kansas. "I drove back 30 minutes later and found a place in the C-3 grass parking lot." Is there a solution? "A parking garage would be a novel idea," said Crow. "Right now it's a nightmare for commuters." Not everyone is in full agreement on just how bad the problem
is though. Roberts and his staff surveyed campus the first day of classes, and found that during the peak hours of 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. the parking lot adjacent to Broncho Fieldhouse was only half full. "We need to get that information out to the students," said Roberts. He also mentioned a gravel lot at the corner of Bauman and Ayers streets that could accomodate overflow parking. Another overflow lot east of the football field is under construction but should be ready by the third or fourth week of class. Asked if he thought a parking garage on campus would be helpful, Roberts said,"I think that would be a great idea but I don't know what the cost of it would be. I'm sure it would be astronomical." Lee Rucker,CSU Director of Bands, said he had more problems getting up Second Street in the
Water well studied for plant irrigation Central State University may be using water from a well to irrigate the greenery around campus in an effort to offset a July 1 water rate increase by the City of Edmond. "We are looking into the costs of a surface well to do irrigation," said Joyce Mounce, vice president of administration. CSU would not be able to treat the water so it would only be used for watering, she said. Studies are being conducted to see if the cost of drilling a well is beneficial, Mounce said. Director of budget Sharon Martin said CSU is feeling the affects of a 63 percent water rate increase.
The water rates increased at CSU on July 1 from a flat rate of $1.23 per 1,000 gallons to a twotier system of $2.95 per first 1,000 gallons and $1.83 for each 1,000 gallons thereafter, she said. Earlier this year Assistant City Manager-City Clerk Patsy Sandefer said CSU would be paying a flat rate of $1.83 for each 1,000 gallons of water. "We are trying very hard to do utility management," Martin said. With the hot, dry summer, CSU has had to use the water sprinklers. No projected costs of drilling a well were available.
morning than finding a parking place. "What's bad is when people who have 9:40 a.m. classes arrive here at 9:30 a.m. It causes chaos." Rucker said that he has always arrived early, parked in the assigned lot and never had any problems. The consensus seems to be, arrive early and beat the crunch or else. The grace period for unregistered vehicles is over according to Roberts. All cars that are unregistered or parked in the wrong lot will receive parking citations. The CSU Police Station on University Drive is open 24 hours to register automobiles.
By Valli Covert Associate Editor A congressional subcommittee, the Army Corp of Engineers and authorities of the City of Edmond met at Central State University August 24 to review costs increases which are in dispute for the building of six parks at Arcadia Lake in Edmond. Central State Park is one of those parks built by the Corps. The city contends the contract signed between Edmond and the Corps states Edmond owes half of $8.4 million plus reasonable adjustments. The Corps says Edmond should pay half of approximately $29 million for the six parks. "This hearing is about much more than just costs. It is about a number of issues — quality of design, construction and the adequacy of administration of a multi-million dollar federal works project," said U.S. Rep. Mike Synar in an opening statement. Mayor Carl Reherman said he was prepared to stand by the original contract and he could understand a 10, 25 or 50 percent cost overrun, but could not understand a 350 percent overrun. "Where did the money go?" he asked. Reherman said he was concerned with accepting the parks because "once we accept them we have to maintain them." He also is concerned with potential accidents at the parks because of bad designs. "There are going to be ac-
cidents," he said. Edmond is believed to be responsible for accidents at the park. When asked if Edmond was insured, Reherman said the city has major liability insurance. Special projects analyst for Edmond David Huffine, said the traffic counters at the parks had to be replaced because they filled with water. The Corps had to replace two counters at a cost of $800 to $900 each. Another issue in the dispute is whether a former city project manager was authorized to give the go ahead for changes the Corps made. The Corps maintains that Larry Slayton wrote a letter on Edmond's letterhead to the Corps saying he was authorized to speak for the city and that the Corps sent a copy of this letter to Edmond officials, and Edmond never disputed the fact. When asked by U.S. Rep Albert Bustamante of Texas, who also was on the congressional panel, if the former project managers had authority to give approval on work order changes, Reherman replied, "No sir, only one body in the city is to give approval, the Public Works Authority. Col. Frank M. Patete, Tulsa District Engineer of the Corps said 2.3 percent of the overruns could be attributed to design oversights. "Design oversights are to be expected," he said. Synar asked, "Should the city pay for one-half of those Please see Lake on page 8.
Fieldhouse leaks water Water seeped through the roof under repair at Broncho Fieldhouse Aug. 19 and 20 during thunderstorms and pooled on the floor of the basketball court. "Roofers were working during the week, then a storm hit Friday and Saturday. We could see the water during the storm, but there was nothing we could do to stop it," said Skip Wagnon, athletic director. "Portions of the roof had been torn open to replace it, and the unexpected rain caught roofers," said Nimrod Chapel, physical plant director. Chapel said the water was cleaned up with a wet-vac. It is still too early to tell what the damage will be, he said. "It should warp within two weeks. Then we'll be able to estimate the damage and know what they need to do," he said. Wagnon said the facilities are still being used.
Charles Beason vacuums up puddled water which leaked through the roof under repair on the Fieldhouse. (Photo by Daniel Smith)