Construction continues into new year

Construction+continues+into+new+year

Rachel Crawford, Managing Editor

Unless you’re a new student this semester, or you’ve been living under a rock, most students know that Tarleton State University has been plagued by never-ending construction.

Recently, the Traditions North residential hall was completed enough for the students who were housed at Bosque Crossing Apartments last semester to be moved to their assigned room on January 13.

According to Harry Battson, Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications,
the new Agricultural Field and Machinery and Fabrication Center, which is located at the University farm, was recently completed. The grand opening is scheduled for tomorrow, and Chancellor John Sharp and President Dominic Dottavio are scheduled to attend.

The projected finished date for the new University Police Department
is this April. The new station will be the former Stephenville fire station, which requires both demolition and renovation. Areas will be created

for conference and break rooms,

evidence and file storage and offices. Construction on Doc Blanchard

Avenue and the Campus Green Pedestrian project, according to Battson, is hard to put a finishing date on. Work on this area cannot resume until construction on Vanderbilt Street is finished at the intersection of the two streets.

Vanderbilt Street hosts one of
the most noticeable construction projects on campus. According to Battson, Vanderbilt will be completed in December of this year. This project will provide infrastructure for future housing, academic and residential projects.

Vanderbilt is being completed in phases, so while the section in front of the Barry B. Thompson Student Center and the Dining Hall is being worked on, a storage container was placed for students to walk through to get to and from class. Strings of lights were placed inside to help light the container in the dark.

“There are over 40 active projects in various phases of construction across the campus and the farm,” Battson said. “It’s a very busy time, but the end result will be a greatly enhanced campus, both in terms of functions and aesthetics.”