The Student Union is part of the many ongoing construction projects on campus.
A common sight and sound lately has been the construction equipment and noise all over different areas of campus.
Currently there are construction projects ongoing for new residence halls, Lankford Student Union and Iler Hall. In addition to these projects, there are two new projects that are getting ready to start such as the Willett facade as well as the Student Success Center.
The plans to reconstruct the front entrance of Willett Hall will be put into action this upcoming March as the basketball season wraps up. The entrance is set to be finished in time for the vice-presidential debate in the fall.
“(Willett Hall will) contribute to the long-term construction plan for Longwood,” said Jerry Jerome, facility planner and master plan coordinator for Campus Planning & Construction.
“Some of the larger projects are not something that are being done just for the debate,” said Jerome.
Also under construction is the new residence housing that is located directly in front of Arc Residence Hall which is easily seen from around campus. This new housing will allow more students to live on campus and is expected to be complete by the summer of 2016.
The new dorms on campus continue to be built, expected be complete by this summer.
The Lankford Student Union is currently under construction for the purpose of finishing the fire alarm system as well as the balustrades which should be finished this upcoming March.
Construction is set to begin soon on the site of the new Student Success Center. This will include preliminary work, as well as breaking ground.
All of the current construction completion dates are weather-dependent.
New roofs were awarded contracts to replace the current roofs on Iler Hall. The installations of these new roofs are due to finish this April.
“Everything is on track right now,” said David Pletcher, director of Capital Design and Construction in regard to the timeline of the construction.
Pletcher remarked that these changes will accommodate for the debate in addition to the Longwood campus, and will help “show its charm and beauty” but they also require a fair amount of time and work.
Jerome added, “There’s several other things that we are studying but none of them have been turned into specific construction projects that we can turn into bids yet”.
In regard to how it will affect students and faculty, Jerome commented that “the implications for short-term changes around campus will be high, but at our level we don’t know the full picture yet.”
