November 10, 2003
Dear Colleagues,
Many of you have asked us about the work on the fountain as well as other construction related activities on campus. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about what is happening now and what is being planned for the future.
First, the fountain. During installation of the fountain, the underground reservoir was punctured. This led not only to poor operation but it also flooded the electrical controls which were placed next to the fountain below ground. After an extended period of time, during which we attempted to isolate and correct the problem, we decided to fix the fountain ourselves. The puncture in the reservoir has been patched, and a new control panel has been ordered. The expected arrival date of the control panel is November 19, 2003. When the control panel is received it will be installed above ground in the electrical room in the Wig Wam. We expect to have the fountain fully repaired and working before graduation.
The major question I get (besides the fountain) is when is Olin coming down? This project is being
coordinated by Louisiana's Facility Planning and Control Office, and they have appointed an engineer to design the demolition. The earliest we can expect to see the demolition is late spring. It is our hope that the demolition will be via an implosion; however, this will be dictated by the design and cost. We believe that this event should be just that: an event. We will schedule the demolition so that the largest possible crowd can observe, even if it means a delay until a football game next fall.
At the same time that we are planning the demolition of Olin, we are planning its replacement. Currently, we are evaluating proposals to completely overhaul our residence hall facilities. A committee of staff, students and system personnel chaired by Mike Trevathan with the assistance of Dr. Bruno are evaluating seven proposals that were received in response to an RFP. The changes are exciting and will result in a major paradigm shift in residential living. We will be interviewing five of the seven vendors later this month. I have been advised that because of the proprietary nature of the proposals we cannot publicly display the information we received. However, we will make sure that the information is available as soon as possible. The current plan is to take a contract for approval to the Board of Supervisors in January.
Work is also started on the installation of improved lighting. Currently, higher wattage, therefore brighter lights are being installed in the parking lots. This is a fairly slow process because every new fixture must have a concrete base. In addition, the old, and what I call mushroom lights, will be replaced with decorative poles and fixtures that also provide brighter lighting. The plan is to install approximately 200 new light poles and fixtures over the next few months.
Work has been completed on the marquee sign in front of Fant-Ewing Coliseum. We have not had the opportunity to inform our internal community of students, faculty, and staff of the many events on this campus in a public and very visible way. The new sign does take advantage of the newer digital technology and will be continually updated. We will keep you informed on the procedures for getting your events displayed.
Last spring, our students passed a fee increase so that we could renovate the old Student Union Building. A program architect is employed and is gathering information from students and others on what functions are wanted and needed in the new building. We expect that process to be completed in the next thirty days, at which time a design architect will be employed. Design will probably take nine months with construction beginning around this time next year. We are planning to have a food court, game area, and offices for our student organizations such as SGA and CAB, suitable relaxation spaces with comfort furniture, and a usable ballroom of large activity area, and other amenities for our students in the renovated facility. At the conclusion of the project we will convert the Wigwam to a Student Success Center. This center will take the CASS concept to all students.
The architect is finished with the plans for the new bookstore on the first floor of Sandel Hall. Work should begin on that project shortly. The current plan is to have it ready this spring semester with expanded merchandising and a coffee shop. In addition, we will be relocating Recruiting and Admissions from Desiard Street to Sandel Hall in the spring. This move is the first step in creating a one-stop shop for students in Sandel. We are currently redesigning Sandel for that purpose with the funds we received from the Capital Outlay Bill in the last legislative session. The 3rd floor of Sandel will also house the long awaited Museum of Natural History. Dr Pezold is in the process of moving our collections to the site.
The DeSiard Street widening project is also moving closer to reality. We are currently negotiating with the Department of Transportation for the sale of the frontage need to expand DeSiard to five lanes. The project includes the redefinition of the front of our campus with improved signage and landscaped entrances. Hopefully, we will receive Federal Funds for the construction of an Intermodal Transit Facility that will accommodate the lost parking spaces in front of the campus as well as provide improved access for our students utilizing the Monroe Transit system.
We are anticipating an April opening of an improved Brown Theater. The Brown Theater project includes new rigging, catwalk and curtains. A new sprinkler system was installed this past spring. It is anticipated that these repairs will make the theater fully usable again. We have invited both the Monroe Symphony and the Monroe Ballet to return to campus as soon as the theater reopens. A Capital Outlay request has also been submitted which would fully renovate all of the Brown Theatres.
We also plan to relocate the custodial staging area, currently in the metal building behind Stubbs Hall, to Madison. It is anticipated that we will move our sculpture laboratory from the Johnson Farm to this building. This project provides not only a more accessible sculpture lab, but it also removes the vehicular traffic from between Stubbs, Brown and Bry. This allows us the opportunity to develop that small patch of green space in the center of the historic portion of our campus.
We are also working on a number of classroom renovations that are funded from the Academic Enhancement Fee. These projects are in various stages of program or design and include Strauss Auditorium, Hanna Hall multi-media classroom, and CNSB lecture hall renovations. Design is complete on the Bayou Walk and that project will be bid in the near future. The heating and air conditioning system in CNSB and residence hall door access readers are currently out on bid.
Not seen by many of you is the Johnson Farm. This property, which is the living laboratory for our Agriculture program, is located several miles off campus and is currently in a state of disrepair. Recent visits by Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, Congressman Rodney Alexander, and others highlighted the need to make a number of improvements in this valuable resource if we planned to keep the Agriculture program viable. Therefore, we will be making a concerted effort not only to clean and repair the buildings and fence rows, but also to maintain the property in a manner befitting this institution. We believe that state, federal, and private funds are available for research projects if we make this effort.
Our goal is to make this campus both beautiful and functional for our students, faculty, and staff. The projects listed above are just a portion of the work being done to continually improve where we live, work, and play.
James E. Cofer, Sr.
ULM President