Students returning to school this week were greeted by a slew of construction-related changes to the University’s Grounds, the most significant being the construction of a temporary dining facility in front of Peabody Hall called N2.
The University attempted to complete as much renovation as possible while students were away for the summer, said James Zehmer, manager of the Facilities Management Historic Preservation Project. But students have still come back to a significant number of unresolved construction projects.
“I think the students at U.Va. are pretty frustrated with the level of construction in general — this is obviously an eyesore, but it wouldn’t be such a big deal if they weren’t constructing so many things,” fourth-year College student Garland Gay said. “It’s hard to drive down or even walk down the street without bumping into construction and loud noise.”
Reactions to the volume of construction on Grounds are mixed. The scaffolding, closed paths and building in particular are cause for concern among students. The real fear for students is that the level of construction will detract from the University’s image.
“The construction has taken over, the Lawn is roped off, there’s scaffolding everywhere,” said second-year Nursing Student Brittany Huth. “I feel like now people are going to see this, and not fall in love with the same school that we did.”
N2, which can seat 300 more students than Newcomb Dining Hall did, has been warmly received by students, said Nicole Jackson, the marketing manager of University Dining.
“So far the student response that we’ve gotten has been overwhelmingly positive; the food has been really well-received,” she said.
Other major projects this summer included renovations to the Rotunda roof, new turf on the Lawn, renovated bathrooms and rooms on the East Range, a new handicap-accessible ramp into Old Cabell Hall and a revamped sidewalk between Garrett Hall and the Amphitheater.
Lawn room fireplaces, which administrators deemed unsafe last year, also underwent a makeover during the summer as workers installed fire suppression systems and chimney liners into chimneys.
Zehmer expects fireplace construction to finish by Nov. 1.
The University aims to complete the majority of these projects by final exercises in May.
Newcomb Dining Hall should reopen for the spring semester, but it could take longer to “get the landscaping back to normal” after the temporary structure is removed, Jackson said.
Zehmer said streakers have been among the groups most impacted by the Lawn renovations.
Zehmer said he had noticed muddy footprints in the sod by the Rotunda, which he imagined were the tracks of students participating in the University’s streaking tradition.
“It was a concern that was raised up to us — so we tried to be proactive: when we put the construction up, we put up some caution flags so in the night you could at least see the fence was up,” Zehmer said.
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