Kennedy mall project irks nearby residents

By Hilary Tone

A building project in Kennedy Mall that has future Dunne, Swig and McKenna residents concerned about construction noise will begin in November of next year.

Vice President of Operations Joe Sugg confirmed that the new structure will serve as a common space for Residential Learning Communities Delfi, ESF, Modern Perspectives and Unity â€" resembling the first floor of Casa Italiana.

It is not yet known how many classrooms the free-standing building will hold or whether or not there will be a service desk. But it has been determined that the new structure will encompass an estimated 10,000 square feet.

"Since the buildings on the west side of campus don't lend themselves to being redone, this common area is a cost-effective way to bring the community together," said Jane Barrentes, director of housing and auxiliary services.

Sugg explained that the university's goal is to have the building completed by the end of next summer.

"It will definitely take less than a year to build, it's not a complicated building," Barrentes said.

According to Barrentes, students in the appropriate residence halls were notified of the construction for next year during the room-selection period so they could make an informed decision about where to live.

"We wanted to warn them to choose other sides of their buildings or maybe even a different community if they didn't want to deal with the construction noise," she said. "We knew that if we didn't warn students about the construction now, it could become a problem later."

But Some Dunne residents don't recall any official warning of the construction.

"I found out from another student when I was doing room registrations," freshman Neal Teusche said.

Others, like freshman Molly Scudder, learned about the construction after reading a letter at the service desk in her residence hall.

"I saw it posted underneath the chart that showed all of the rooms available for selection," Scutter said. "I didn't notice it at first, but my friend told me about it."

Prior to housing registration, community facilitators in Dunne were not notified of the construction and were never instructed to inform residents.

Barrentes promises that out of consideration to students, construction will not begin before 8 a.m., and if it is to take place on a weekend, students will be informed ahead of time.

Scudder, a Dunne resident who plans to return next year, loves the Kennedy Mall side of the building where she currently lives.

"There's no street noise, and no afternoon sun," Scudder said. "But I'd rather deal with car noise and sun than with 8 a.m. construction."

For many students, the construction noise issue was a deciding factor in choosing their rooms.

Those who had early lottery numbers attempted to get rooms on the street side away from the construction, including Scudder.

Though the construction process may be unpleasant for those living around Kennedy Mall, some are optimistic.

"I like the idea of a common area and a place to study," Scudder said. "I'm kind of disappointed I have to live through the construction and not benefit from it, but someone has to do it."

Operations has additional plans for the west side of campus including landscaping and creating a private co-ed restroom on the first floor of McLaughlin.

"We're hoping to redo the landscape with grass and trees to look more like Sobrato, and not a concrete parking lot," Barrentes said.