In recent weeks, several announcements regarding the summer construction at Ohio University have been released. Here’s an update on summer campus construction:
A project to improve Emeriti park’s pond and walkways was recently announced.
The pond, located in the center of the park, will be dredged in order to remove a thick layer of silt that has built up over the years.
“The pond was excavated at a depth of eight feet in 1998 and has steadily collected silt over the years, to such an extent that it’s now 4-feet deep in some places,” said Mark Whitney, a university design and construction project manager, in a news release.
The silt will be removed in a eco-friendly way by divers with vacuum hoses. The hoses will suck water and silt from the pond, and deposit both in large geotextile bags. These special bags will allow the water to drain from the removed silt, and return to the pond. After draining, the silt will be taken to the Ridges compost facility for processing.
The Emeriti Park project also will install LED lighting along pathways lining the pond. Nine pathway-pole lights, and two pedestal lights will installed.
“The lights conform to our standard of being shielded from shedding light upward, which would increase the ambient light level in the sky and interfere with astronomers and stargazers view of the night sky,” Whitney said in a press release.
Any turf damaged in the process will be reseeded, and flowers will also be planted around the park.
Construction has affected the power to some buildings and residence halls. According to a university announcement, a utility tunnel on East Green Dr. was damaged last week, limiting power and hot water to the surrounding residence halls. Work to repair the tunnel is underway, and normal electricity was being restored to residence halls Friday.
College Green and its buildings is also being worked on this summer. Improvements will focus on refreshing the look of the green. Cutler Hall, Scripps Hall, Chubb Hall and Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, among other buildings, will see work. A previous Post article details the specifics of these improvements.
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