Construction to begin on new campus walkways

By Liz O'Brien

Massive, high-tech library? Check. Innovative new business school? Check. Flagged stone pedestrian walkways through campus where cars used to be? Check. Well, almost.

With all other major projects on campus finished or in the final stage of construction--Harrington Learning Commons, Lucas Hall, Locatelli Student Activities Center--the next step is to connect them all via "pavers," 12 by 6 inch cement blocks that will replace most of the asphalt and some current walkways, according to Joe Sugg, vice president of University Operations.

"My sense is that the Board (of Trustees) thought until we closed Palm Drive and got the vehicles off campus, we could never make the next great leap in improving the appearance of campus," Sugg said. "We built these tremendous buildings, and we just now need to get the cars off campus."

The undertaking, which Sugg refers to as "the paver project," was approved by the Board of Trustees in May, though it has been in the master plan for the last 15 years, Sugg said. Plans were finalized and approved recently, primarily because of the completion of other major projects, but also because of the project's ability to be completed incrementally. Sections of the project can be worked on individually, allowing the university to delay fundraising or construction should funds need to be reallocated.

"With the uncertainty of the economy--if this were ten years ago they would just do the whole thing," said Sonny Manuel, S.J., a rector in the Jesuit community and member of the Board of Trustees. Manuel explained that with the paver project, the university will not have to secure a large donation or pledge funds from its own operating budget all at once (as is done when fundraising for a building), but can instead work with smaller, more flexible numbers.

There is currently $1 million pledged for the project, Sugg said, though he was not able to release the donor's name. No fundraising is underway at this time, according to Assistant Vice President for Development Nancy Trish Calderon, who said that fundraising, like construction, was pending guidance from the President's Office.

"I can't give specific dates for construction to begin because those are dependant upon number one, the money and number two, the president saying go ahead," Sugg said, though he estimated the project would be complete in two to three years. Jim Briggs, executive assistant to the president, indicated that the President's Office had not yet reviewed the plans, but Sugg speculated that presidential approval would be secured by June.

While Board approval is the final major hurdle to approving large projects on campus, the President's Office sets the priority level of the year's undertakings and gives the authorization to solicit funds.

Construction has begun on one segment of the project in conjunction with the Locatelli Student Activities Center. The walkway from the Locatelli Center up to the Leavey Center will be completed this coming summer, drawing funds from the donation made for the center itself, according to Sugg.

Still unanswered is the question of what will supplement the approximately 150 on-campus parking spaces eliminated by the project. The walkway will remove spaces in front of St. Joseph Hall, O'Connor along Palm drive, and will eliminate the parking lot between Lucas Hall and Alumni Sciences.

"It hasn't been approved by the city or anybody, but the official answer would be we are going to create additional parking north and south of campus," Sugg said, referring to areas north of Franklin Street and south of Market Street.

The administration and finance office did not respond to requests to specify which properties, but Manuel confirmed that the Board did discuss parking issues in the course of approving the project. The areas Sugg referenced are currently residential properties, some of which the university owns. Manuel said that parking may become more inconvenient for some, but that there had to be a tradeoff in improving the aesthetics of the campus.

Sugg also mentioned that reducing vehicles on campus is a major aesthetic factor in creating pedestrian-only walkways, but Sustainability Coordinator Lindsey Cromwell sees the project as an important environmental factor as well.

"The farther away you have to park, the harder you're going to think about having a car on campus at all," she said.

In addition to reducing vehicle emissions on and around the university, the project will also decrease the amount of impermeable surfaces on campus, reducing runoff to the bay.

Sugg explained that because there is no mortar involved--the bricks are vibrated into place with sand acting as the cohesive element--water can penetrate the ground, unlike the current asphalt driveways, which are impenetrable.

Despite the aesthetic and environmental benefits, there is still speculation about whether a project this extensive is appropriate in light of the economic recession. Manuel said that because the project is conducive to donor opportunities through naming walkways, benches or gates, the anticipation is that most of it will be gift-centered, alleviating pressure on the operating budget, which also provides funds for student aid.

"But then even if you do that with gifts,you still have to say, 'Well, should you be asking gifts for that, or for scholarships?'" he said.

For Manuel, the compromise comes by playing to the university's strengths, particularly by investing in the appearance of campus. A beautiful campus draws applicants, which increases the amount of money incoming through tuition.

"We're a campus-focused, campus-centered university," he said. "So you do what you can--and if we get into a crises, it's things like that that will take a back seat."

Contact Liz O'Brien at eobrien@scu.edu.