According to Assistant Director for Design and Construction Tom Davies, all construction projects are on schedule, including progress on the new dormitories on the Freshman Quad.
"We began the James and Stearns projects, which included removing the old buildings and putting down new foundations," said Davies. "Steel will be going up on James and Stearns. The construction will continue throughout the year. The buildings will be finished in time for occupation in September 2005," said Davies.
Dean of Students Ben Lieber is excited about the projects that have been completed and the continuing progress. "I think the new dorms are spectacular," he said. "Everything has turned out spectacularly well. I think students will be very happy when they see them."
Construction on the geology and natural history building will also continue this year. Davies said that any excessive noise due to the continued construction will be minimal. However, residents of Jenkins Dormitory will be most affected. "Jenkins is closest to a construction site and its residents can expect the most noise," said Davies.
Jenkins residents are currently getting used to the noise and the inconvenience of the building, which prevents students from walking directly up to Fayerweather Hall, Moore Dormitory or Valentine Hall. Residents also must walk around the building to get to Barrett Hill.
"It's really inconvenient," said Jenkins resident Sarah Shea '07. "You have to walk all the way around. Noise is also a problem. It woke me up at 6:45 this morning," she said.
Jenkins Resident Counselor Kate Raddock '06 expressed similar sentiments. "It's kind of annoying in the morning. It gets you up at seven," she said. "And the big green fence is really ugly."
Although noise for Jenkins residents might be a problem now, Lieber assures that the construction crews will be asked to be especially considerate of noise during exam period.
Davies noted that a few classrooms in Chapin Hall were also updated this summer.
Driving and parking
In addition to noise, Lieber warns that construction will make it more difficult to drive through campus. "The main inconvenience is going to be in terms of driving around campus," he said. "The circle around the freshman quad is blocked off and drivers will have to exit near Physical Plant."
As a result of the construction, faculty members can no longer park on the east side of the Quad, on Barrett Hill Road or in the Fayerweather Hall Lot. As a result, the Alumni Parking Lot has become faculty parking and students will use a temporary lot created on the upper tennis courts. The initial proposal was to pave over an area at the edge of the bird sanctuary for student parking, but a number of students and community members opposed the idea.
"We were convinced by the arguments that it didn't make sense to make a parking lot at this point at the far end of the tennis courts in the area next to the woods, given that we had an alternative," said President Anthony Marx. "The upper tennis courts can revert to being tennis courts for the summer ... and we can do that at least for a year but we can't do it forever because the courts get destroyed by the parking lot. ... We have created a committee to explore parking options."
The creation of the new lot has affected members of the tennis team. "We only use the upper courts for New Englands and NESCAC tournaments," said Kristen Raverta '06, a member of the women's tennis team. "However, it makes it easier to get Amherst selected as a place to host these events because we have so many tennis courts and therefore better facilities."
In a notice to the College community, Jim Brassord, director of facilities planning and management, wrote that the new lot has a capacity greater than the Alumni Lot, which ensures sufficient parking. The lot also meets safety standards. "Appropriate lighting and emergency telephones have been installed per the College's parking lot design standards," he wrote.
Outside College bounds
Construction at the College extended beyond the campus. "We did an exterior restoration to the Emily Dickinson homestead," said Davies. The project was an effort to restore the historical integrity of the building so that it looked the way it did when Dickinson lived in it.
Davies also noted that workers started an expansion of the central chilled water plant and installed raised crosswalks on Route 9. When the pedestrian-cross button is pushed, lights in the ground flash, alerting drivers to pedestrians' presence.
According to Marx, the raised crosswalks and lights were preferable to speed bumps because they are less harmful drivers' cars, but equally effective for pedestrian safety. "My priority has to be the safety of the students," he said.