Parking lot closes, makes way for new building
The university has announced plans to construct a new building on campus for the Regional Campuses and Distance Education (RCDE) program. The building will replace the fenced-off parking lot just east of the Lilly White Building on 700 North.
Groundbreaking for the building is scheduled for May, and construction is expected to end July 2012.
James Nye, USU’s director of parking and transportation, said he did not fight the decision to construct the building in place of a parking lot.
“Every parking lot on campus is a future building lot,” Nye said. “We realize this is going to be a very valuable building. This’ll house classroom space and that’s very important. We’re team players and understand how things are.”
Nye said faculty who used to park in the parking lot have already been reassigned. As for students, Nye said there are other options.
“We have lots of parking on this campus that’s un-utilized, it’s just that most of it’s not convenient,” Nye said. “The shuttle system works great. There’s tons of parking around the stadium. It’s just that you might have to have a two or three minute walk.”
Currently, there are no plans to construct a new parking lot, though Nye said the new building will include about 18 parking stalls.
Assistant vice provost and executive director of RCDE Robert Wagner said the new building’s first two floors and basement will house distance education-equipped classrooms. The top two floors will house administrative offices for RCDE.
“Additionally, there will be a small team of instructional designers from the Faculty Assistance Center for Teaching (FACT) that will be on the first floor, able to assist faculty with their distance education courses,” Wagner said.
Janis Morales, RCDE’s director of finance, said the building’s tall, compact design will make efficient use of space.
“It will be really, really nice,” she said. “I think it will be used by all of campus with all those classrooms.”
Morales said the building is intended principally for distance education and broadcast courses, but that all types of classes can be held there.
“Most broadcast classes are held in the evenings,” she said. “We want to have this maximized with use, so it will be available.”
– robmjepson@gmail.com