For the past week, many students who have walked to the University Center have noticed the construction fencing that surrounds it, creating inconvenient detours for students and faculty.
“The fence is unsightly and interferes with my routine. It is in between all the buildings I use every day, and now it takes me longer to get to my classes and go to eat meals. It is extremely inconvenient and came without any warning,” said UTM junior Music Education major Grace Lucas.
Not only is it a barrier for students to access the UC easily, but it also affects the look of UTM.
“I hate it because it makes UTM look like we are in a correctional facility or a reform school,” said UTM senior Biology major Breann Davis.
Why the sudden construction with no forewarning?
UTM Physical Plant Director Tim Nipp said the university is working to connect chill water piping between the academic water plant and the student housing water plant. In order to do this, he said in an article on the UTM website,the fencing had to be installed to keep students and staff safe.
“Unfortunately, to ensure the safety of our students and staff, the contractor must install fencing along this piping route during this installation process. The fenced-off area will be from the north end of the parking lot between UV2 and Ellington Hall extending to near the wooden kiosk by the library,” Nipp said.
“We apologize for this disruption and inconvenience in the pedestrian traffic flow during this time frame. This project will allow for a greater cooling capacity for the campus and redundancy in cooling in the event of losing a chiller.”
The piping work will continue through Aug. 1, meaning that students will continue to deal with the fences for the remainder of the semester and the summer.
