Housing experiences delays
Construction on the new student housing and parking terrace near the Taggart Student Center has slipped behind schedule, but the plan to open in fall 2006 remains.
John Fitch, project coordinator with Facilities Design and Construction for Utah State University, said the construction company, Parsons Evergreene, encountered “extreme difficulty in the excavation” of the new four-level parking terrace.
The Salt Lake City based company has fallen slightly behind their proposed timetable, but refuses to alter the prospective completion date, Fitch said. They are accelerating their efforts to get back on schedule.
“Given the conditions,” Fitch said, “the contractors are making a really good effort.”
Two levels of the parking terrace and the community center are scheduled to open in November 2005, Fitch said. The remaining residence halls and parking levels will be completed for Fall Semester 2006.
The parking terrace will consist of 600 stalls. There will be two elevators for those who park in the terrace, as well as those walking to campus, Fitch said. The elevators will also be large enough to accommodate a bicycle.
The new terrace will have an exit on to Champ Drive to facilitate the traffic for the Haight B. Alumni Center. Champ Drive, which was closed about the time construction began, will remain closed after the project is completed, Fitch said. It will still be accessible to emergency vehicles, but will remain closed to the public.
The area between the TSC and the LDS Institute is one of the busiest crosswalks on campus and was a “hazard for students.”
The parking terrace and new housing complexes are in an “ideal location,” said Steve Jenson, director of Housing and Dining Services. They will offer students greater access to the heart of the USU campus.
The suite style apartments will house about 512 residents, Jenson said. The university anticipates a lot of demand for these complexes. Although there is not yet a waiting list, housing plans to implement one.
The new housing will be “the hottest place on campus,” with possibly “the best views in the valley,” Fitch said.
The community center will have plasma TVs and wireless internet access. The new residence halls will be some of the “nicest housing facilities anywhere in the country,” Jenson said.
-acbeck@cc.usu.edu
Construction continues on the new residence hall on the west side of USU´s campus. The new building is slated to be completed in the fall of 2006, in time for the new school year. (Photo by John Zsiray)