When is that building/renovation/traffic light going to be finished?
Here it is February, with lots of the construction and renovation projects on the Coastal Carolina University campus nearing completion. To help sort it all out, here’s a rundown on some current campus projects.
The top attention-getters have been:
* The $15.2 million Springs Brooks Baseball-Softball Complex
* The Jackson Student Union
* The traffic light on University Boulevard between Blanton Park and Lackey Chapel.
Springs Brooks Stadium
Opening the baseball season on Friday, Feb. 13, the Chanticleers are ready to play in their glorious new ballpark that seats 2,500, with multiple concession stands and three sets of restrooms. Including standing room, the stadium can accommodate up to 4,000 to 5,000 fans.
In addition to the field and the stands, there’s a 3,000-square-foot locker room for the players, separate locker rooms for coaches and visiting former players, a players lounge, kitchen area, equipment and training rooms, and a reception area where players’ families and friends can wait after games.
Construction continues on the outfield wall, bullpens and artificial turf in foul territory, the new $700,000 scoreboard and sound system and grass berms down the sides and a boardwalk, all which should be completed by mid-April.
Jackson Student Union
Open for business and settling in nicely, students and administrators are all tickled to get into their new digs, but there are still a few missing elements – the outdoor patio furniture, the CHANT411 custom-made desk for the front entrance and some of the gaming equipment. The formal dedication is set for Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.
In the meantime, there’s lots of excitement over the full-size Provisions On Demand (POD) convenience store, the commuter students’ lounge where you can recharge your batteries (literally), the movie theater (and free popcorn!), the gaming room with teal pool tables, foosball and ping-pong, plus state-of-the-art gaming equipment, the student resource center, and lots more.
With 36,000 square feet, the $12 million building is totally student oriented and is described as the “living room of campus,” according to Whitney Comer, who has given so many tours by now she could conduct them in her sleep.
New traffic light
The new traffic light at University Boulevard and University Drive will control traffic at the intersection and enable those students who park in the Lackey Chapel lot and those who live in the Quail Creek neighborhood to use the crosswalk safely.
It started flashing on Jan. 22 and remained flashing while the concrete paver contractor worked on the brick speed “table” decorated with CCU’s presidential seal.
Weather permitting, it should be finished in early February, according to Rein Mungo, interim director of facilities and planning.
Another traffic light is also planned for installation on University Boulevard between the soccer fields and the Brooks Stadium parking lot.
Lighting on campus is getting an upgrade, with new fixtures, upgrading of poles and upgrading of existing fixtures. New lights will be going up at the Woods Residence Hall, library parking lot and the Wall Bridge, among other locations.
Atheneum Hall Renovation
Atheneum Hall is being renovated specifically to house the Alumni Association staff and for alumni events. The renovations will include new offices and meeting space for alumni staff and a large meeting room and pre-function area, along with a dining room/ board meeting room.
Though final completion is slated for Feb. 27, the move into the building probably won’t happen until early March. President David A. DeCenzo, Provost Ralph Byington and their staffs will move into the building while the Singleton Building construction is underway.
Meanwhile, brick pavers are still being sold by Alumni Affairs for an Alumni Walkway being laid near the Atheneum. So far about 80 bricks have been sold at $250 each.
The Office of Alumni Affairs has moved into Kingston Hall until renovations are complete.
Food Service Catering Building
This 8,000-square-foot facility is located next to Williams Brice Gym at the corner of Chanticleer Drive West and Tom Trout Drive and will serve as the staging area for all catered events on campus, as well as a dining area for athletes in the evening and faculty/staff during the day. There’s a seating area for approximately 100 inside and a small outside patio area for 24. The kitchen area is streamlined for cooked and cold food prep areas.
Though construction has been completed, issues with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) are holding up the opening, which could happen as early as February or as late as early March, according to Rein Mungo, acting director of facilities.
Humanities Building Sculpture Yard
Installation of equipment is still going on in the new Sculpture Yard, a welding/ceramics storage area that will include a furnace, welding and forges, outdoor enclosure and ceramic kilns. The art department was scheduled to complete installation of the equipment in the indoor spaces in January, with facilities assisting with equipment requiring special connections/service.
Arne Flaten, chair of the Department of Visual Arts, says equipment is coming over from receiving; the sand pit and kilns are good to go; the blast furnace is installed; and the forges are done. The planned roof has been put off until later in the spring.
“Now we need sand (as well as silicon) to begin casting,” says Flaten.
The seven-foot tall statue of Chauncey will be the first major casting project for the new Sculpture Yard once it’s completed.
