[The True Flame]

Mid-October is realistic... I just can't see them throwing that thing up in 2 months and it being completely done... you know they will find a way to cut 10,000 corners, like they did the Hockey rink!!!!! Still waiting on those bleachers and the proshop, and the team room...

[PAmedic]

Mid-October is realistic... I just can't see them throwing that thing up in 2 months and it being completely done... you know they will find a way to cut 10,000 corners, like they did the Hockey rink!!!!! Still waiting on those bleachers and the proshop, and the team room...

Gift horse, meet mouth.

[Libertine]

Over here, we're starting a pool on when the ops center is occupancy-ready. (Not a literal pool, of course; NCAA violation and all) I've got February 15th, Chris C has December 3rd and Barry's got September 1st. Anyone else want in?

Hey, Lang. Did Barber actually refer to it as the Williams Football Operations Center? If so, I think that's the first that we've heard an official name for it.

[LUconn]

January all the way! Stuff seems to get done over breaks.

[Rocketfan]

You stole my answer....but possibly moved up to Thanksgiving break. Can anyone tell me of anything that has actually finished on time??, if they pull it off, my hat will be off to them ( that is if it remains standing due to all the cut corners) I would think a new AD would be a little vague and say soon, but a timetable is really kind of suprising considering they are still working the on church! I mean there are on some many workers/subcontractors to go around.

[LU'sbestmanger]

you guys dont think since we have a new AD things will be different. i mean he's changed some stuff already. it sounds like when he talks he means business. i had a personal meeting with him

[SuperJon]

I think Barber will make sure it gets done.

Everyone talks about things not getting done, but look how fast the new dorms on East Campus are going up.

[ATrain]

SJ-the East Dorms get built fast, but then they start falling down. My dorm was just built last year (took them about 4/5 months to do it) and there are cracks in the wall and doors getting stuck from where the foundation is shifting/settling/whatever and there are times when you can feel the dorm shaking (I'm on the 4th floor) b/c of it. The ones they're building now are going up even faster than the one I'm in...I just hope they're more stable.

And if you want to talk about things not getting done or getting done correctly-the 3rd and 4th floors of DeMoss are a perfect example.

[SuperJon]

There was an article that came out explaining the 3rd and 4th floor of DeMoss. There's not enough parking to open those two floors. The original plan was to tear down the other buildings (TE Hall, Fine Arts, etc) but now we can't afford to because of the amount of students.

[PAmedic]

There's not enough parking to open those two floors.

exactly. A lot goes into the municipality issuing occupancy permits, one of which is parking capabilies for commerical space. Even educational use needs to meet similar requirements, though I don't honestly know what they are in the city of Lynchburg.

[SuperJon]

This could be why they are charging $350 for a parking permit next year...

[Flamesfanva]

We're not alone. The VT stadium expansion project was supposed to be finished before last season and as of the spring game a few weeks ago, it's still not finished...although it's supposed to be totally completed before this season begins. I'd rather wait and have it done right though, and the contractor has also been raking up fines for each day it's not completed.

[Hold My Own]

And if you want to talk about things not getting done or getting done correctly-the 3rd and 4th floors of DeMoss are a perfect example.

I swear students get bored and just start making things up....example....hey they haven't put anything on the 3rd and 4th floor of demos, I guess it just wasn't built good enough.....THAT IS NOT TRUE, this I can promise you, if you walk in to JF's office tomorrow with a check and you told him he could only spend it on the 3rd and 4th floor then they will start tomorrow....MONEY is the issue not structure (parking also, although not really the biggest reason, but it sounds better in the media)

[LUconn]

Also, the school is running pretty good with 2 floors. If money magically appeared to finish them, what the freak are they gonna put up there? An Art Williams museum?

Foundation settling is normal in the first few years also. I think because of the strange clay around here it's probably amplified. My entire townhouse is somewhat on a slant. It's not noticable unless you put a ball on the floor in the kitchen and watch it. Stupid students destroying the place they live in doesnt help the dorms in questions either.

[SuperJon]

Stupid students destroying the place they live in doesnt help the dorms in questions either.

That's the biggest part of the cracked walls and doors not shutting.

If kids run into the wall enough times it's going to get pushed on and possibly move a little bit.

[LUconn]

I can't tell you how many times somebody is trying to force their way into a room while someone is holding the door shut and they get pinned agasint the wall and they just completely go through it. I think every wall near a door in Dorm 11 is made of plaster instead of drywall.

[Hold My Own]

Also, the school is running pretty good with 2 floors. If money magically appeared to finish them, what the freak are they gonna put up there? An Art Williams museum.

They approved a Health center where nursing students will treat ailments of students and the entire floor will be devoted to the health department....this was a few years ago though

[PAmedic]

LU-Emergency Dept? How will they back the paramedic units in to the 3rd floor?

[PeterParker]

On parking...will they ever abandon "suburban sprawl parking" and build parking decks...you can at least make these aesthically pleasing on the outside...(MacArthur Center in Downtown Norfolk is one good example.)

I realize the money issue, but does anyone know if this is planned for in the future?

[SuperJon]

I had heard yes they were planning one. I heard it was going to be in The Pit. Don't know when it would happen though. Hopefully soon.

[Hold My Own]

they were ready to build a parking deck behind the vines but then North Campus was handed to us so it wouldnt be practical to build it behind the vines now that we have a million sq ft somewhere else....possibly the pit....but nobody knows at this point....prob. a central location with a shuttle service....JF is trying to raise the money for this project now

[SuperJon]

I like the idea of a parking deck in the pit and forcing freshmen and residents on the hill to park in it. That will clear up P1 and P2 for commuters because everyday there are freshman cars and resident cars in the commuter parking lots.

[LUconn]

No way, build a parking deck and get rid of the other lots. They make the campus look 100% worse. At the least get rid of the lot in front of Demoss and just plant grass. No fountain though. Atrain will put soap in it.

[SuperJon]

I agree we need grass on campus, but we also need a few parking lots. I think the parking lot by the Rot and p1 are the ones we need to keep. Other than that, let's plant some grass.

[Brokeback Flamer]

Back to the OPs Center I want in on the pool and notice my Mid NOvember post was time stamped before anyone else!!! As I was on campus today, I noticed that there did APPEAR to be some space next to the Ops Center where some practice fields MIGHT fit. Any info on what is to become of that space?

As for DeMoss that thing is becoming a great example of "long term, strategic planning at LU". It is a very impressive building OUTSIDE, but let me list some of the fun stuff inside that was promised: All classrooms would be "smart" classrooms with projection systems and computers to use with network connection. This was supposed to allow the students/prof to ability to use Powerpoint, Vids, Slides etc in every room w/out going through AV. It was supposed to have some type of "Wi Fi" system throughout. 3rd and 4t floor were not occupied b/c they did run out of money. In fact, unless this has changed in the last year or so, they are not even able to be occupied b/c they are not adequately fire proofed. (I can dig up that email somewhere I am sure) They have promised EVERY department space in DeMoss since inception. The Health department and Sport Sciences were supposed to housed there but now there are plans to house them at Ericsson/GE/North/LeHaye/Church campus.
Not looking a gift horse in the mouth but golly neds, can't we hold off on building something until we have the funds to do it properly. Imagine if we took all the half finished projects around campus and had used that money to do the other parts properly. I think the campus would look much better.
Finally, as for a parking deck in the area behind the Vines, was a non starter. It LOOKS like a good place to build one until you take into account drainage and soil composition. They have done at least two studies that I know of to test it and both came back as inadequate.