Construction to the Recreation Center is moving forward on schedule but is causing frustration for some students.
The expansion of the Recreation Center, which was approved by a student referendum in 2008, is still in the demolition and underground utilities phase of the project, said Perry Judd, the project manager for the Recreation Center.
As a part of putting in utility lines for the new facilities, the path from Hathway Avenue to South Perimeter, referred to as the West Pedestrian Walkway, will be closed until Aug. 30.
Ken Carlson, a Berg Electric electrician working on the project, said storm drains, electrical wiring and hydronics are going in where the path was. He also said he was excited to see how the construction on the Recreation Center will turn out.
“This place is going to look awesome when it’s finished,” he said.
Starting in May, the demolition will be completed and the construction of the new additions to the Recreation Center will begin, Judd said.
However, not everyone is excited about how the construction is going. Food sciences junior Raquel Serna said she doesn’t think the construction is worth the inconvenience since she is going to be graduated by the time it is done.
“It will only take me five minutes longer, but five minutes is a lot when you are running late,” she said.
Lorin Torbitt, chair of the University Union Advisory Board, which is in charge of the construction on the Recreation Center, said some students have complained about the construction, but for the most part people have been understanding.
“One of the products of construction is inconvenience,” she said.
The people who live closest to the pathway are most affected, Judd said.
“For (students) living on Orange and Kentucky it will increase the amount that they have to walk but there is no real way to mitigate that; we would if we could,” he said.
Judd said despite the challenges of construction on an active college campus, it has been going really well.
The alternate route for pedestrians is through the tennis courts, which will reroute people next to the H. P. Davidson Music Center and Mott Gym.
Food science and nutrition junior Cami Simms said she used to walk on the path in-between the tennis courts and the pool but once that got closed down, she started using the West Pedestrian Pathway.
“It will only take me five to seven minutes more but it’s still really annoying,” she said.
The second floor of the gym was also recently closed, but five lit outdoor courts near Bob Janssen Field at the Sports Complex compensate for the closed courts.