Housing delays force relocation of students
Four of the six buildings in the new Living and Learning Community have not been completed for the beginning of the semester.
Housing Director Steve Jenson said the contractor, Parsons Construction, encountered some unexpected obstacles in the construction of the LLC and the parking garage.
“They had to remove a steam plant from the area and do a lot of additional work to build up the hillside,” he said. “It’s also a tough market to get construction
labor right now. We’ve had challenges finding quality workers.”
The six buildings, labeled A through F, were originally supposed to be completed in the summer of 2006. Buildings A and F are currently housing students, and building D is scheduled to be done by the end of September.
While building D is being finished, the 92 students that had signed up to live there have been relocated to the Towers.
As compensation for the inconvenience, Jenson said the relocated students received $1,000 housing credit and Parsons Construction will help them move their belongings when the apartment is complete.
David Bradway and Ben LaRiviere, students temporarily living in the Towers, said they didn’t mind the unexpected move because of the extra perks.
“I don’t like it that much, but I’ll be moving soon enough,” LaRiviere said. “The $1,000 was worth it.”
Bradway said he thought the university handled the delay smoothly.
Buildings B, C and E will be ready for students by the spring 2007 semester, Jenson said.
According to the housing Web site, the original estimate for the LLC was $40 million to be paid with a 30-year bond. With the additional costs of compensating students, as well as delays in both the parking structure and housing units, Jenson did not say what the final cost will be.
“The real benefit is yet to be seen,” he said. “Now that we are able to take people and show them how nice [the new buildings] are, it will have a huge impact on recruitment. There are a lot of students with high expectations and [the LLC] certainly fits the bill.”
There are currently 200 students signed up to live in buildings A, D and F.
When the other three apartments are completed, the complex has the capacity to house 512 students.
Jenson said the new complex is “some of the nicest housing in the Intermountain West,” boasting plasma-screen TVs and pool tables in the lounges, along with a great view of Cache Valley.
“The location couldn’t be better; it’s at the heart of campus,” he said. “We expect it to give additional life to the TSC.”
Kesia Horner, one of the students who was able to move in the LLC, said, “I think the style it’s set up in is nice. It’s very interactive between floors and has a really fun atmosphere.”
In addition to apartment buildings, a parking garage for the LLC residents and university staff was built, which requires increases in parking pass fees from 2005 to 2012. The Carousel dining center on the second floor of the Taggart Student Center has also been remodeled into a new dining facility, now known as the Marketplace Eatery.
Along with the Junction, the new eatery provides a place for students with meal plans to eat, but is also open to anyone.
While the new housing currently provides 512 new beds, in the long term the university will gain 20 beds in terms of new housing. With the mobile home park closing in 2011, a “domino effect” might be created due to families moving into Aggie Village and students in Aggie Village moving elsewhere on campus, the Housing Web site states.
-dilewis@cc.usu.edu