Spring Break
Major construction begins on campus
Founder's Drive a focal point for new construction
Akela Yarn
Issue date: 5/20/09 Section: News
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In addition to the new paving, a new sewer line is being installed to fix sewage and drainage problems for the surrounding buildings.
Faculty, commuters and students are inquiring about the giant hole between Slay and the Mail Services office. Construction workers have been working on replacing a century old sewer line behind Building 43 for about a week. They started last Monday and hope to complete the project by the end of the current week. Building 43 holds the Mail Services offices and the housekeeping main office.
"The old line has been here for about 100 years and has never been replaced so the line is not draining like it should," said James Pas, a member of the team installing the new sewer line.
The hole is approximately five feet deep and will stretch from the area in front of the Mail Services office to the edge of 10th Street. The line will manage the sewer and drainage of the Buildings that surround that area, which include Umstead residence hall, Slay, Building 43 and Flanagan. The sewer line will also affect the cooling tower that sits between the construction site and the Flanagan Building. The cooling tower is the heating and air conditioning source for the whole campus. The line will help to better drain the tower.
Noise, debris and inconvenience are all associated with construction, but the campus has been cooperative so far. "Everybody's been working with us; we've had no complaints, yet," Pass said.
Workers have run into a few problems in running the line. Underneath the asphalt closest to Umstead were power lines, vents, a fiber optic line and a steam line that the workers could not disturb due to time constraints and financial reasons. The workers dug 22 feet by hand to avoid the problem. To keep the project on time, the workers spent nearly all of Saturday fixing the problem.
The construction affects more people with the start of summer school. It has caused a slight inconvenience for commuters who usually travel through Founders Drive, pedestrians and mail service customers.
Thru traffic is allowed, but commuters must reduce speed and maneuver through orange barriers. Pedestrians who walk through the area between Umstead and Slay buildings will have to walk around the gravel and dirt.
The Mail service office is still open with its regular business hours but customers will have to walk or find somewhere else to park. "As far as the traffic is concerned, it may slow up a little bit because people can't drive around," said Clinton Elbert, Campus Courier. "People who usually park in front now can't and there is nowhere to park along the side without the risk of a ticket. Most of the business is coming from the adjacent building," added Michael Latham, mail clerk. There are not a lot of places to park around the building so some customers have chosen to use the United States Post Office located across 10th Street.
This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.
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