Several campus improvement projects under way this summer

We typically undertake a variety of construction projects around campus during the summer so as to cause the least disruption as possible, and to also get the campus ready for a new fall semester.

This summer is no different, and there is a lot going on, funded by maintenance and renovation monies, stimulus grants or construction funds that cannot be used for personnel expenses. Here are some of the things we're doing:

• Landscaping the entrance to Columbus State University from East Lindsay Drive, improving drainage and following the landscaping master plan to create larger usable green spaces on campus. This will be for athletic and student use.
• Building two classrooms/computer labs in the Health and Wellness Center, replacing the volleyball court there. Outfitted with technology and computers, these should be finished by January.
• Adding air-conditioning to Woodruff Gym. This should be finished by January.
• Beginning a multi-year renovation in the lowest level of the library to house the archives and create more classrooms and usable library spaces.
• Finishing the gating and fencing around our student apartment complexes to upgrade our security and create access control for student housing.
• Constructing a press box at the softball field. This should be done by the end of September.
• Using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) State Energy Program, upgrading lighting and reinforcing our commitment to sustainability and green initiatives with improved HVAC controls for a variety of buildings, better pathway lighting around campus and installing the campus' first solar panel for surplus power generation.
• Renovating Clearview II to add labs and classrooms for the Department of Earth and Space Sciences.
• Renovating the Cougar Food Court in Davidson Student Center to make room for Chick-fil-A to move in there by October. This is being done by Aramark in response to student requests for Chick-fil-A.
• Columbus Water Works is building a new facility and outdoor animal area at CSU's Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center. Funded through the most-recent SPLOST, the facility will host a grand opening, featuring the new building, for the public on July 30. The center will also feature a renovation of its original building and a newly reopened treetop trail canopy walk.

I thank my colleagues for their patience in working around these projects as we strive to continually keep our campus in the best shape possible.