ETSU is in the process of becoming a structurally larger institution, though it will take time.
There are some projects recently completed which will impact most students.
“Construction for the new softball field is on schedule and should be completed by the end of this year. We just recently finished work on the new soccer complex,” said Bill Rasnick, associate vice president at the physical plant.
Rasnick said phase three of construction at Buccaneer Ridge is on schedule and will be complete by June 2009, which will make 112 two-bedroom apartment units available in accordance with the current design. The new units will be located on the northern area of the land because of limited space availability. Although there is a master plan looking 50 years into the future, Rasnick states that it is more realistic to focus on the 10-year plan.
Considering the process for state funding, which could take 15 years, planning has to be done strategically and realistically. This includes looking over the budget to ground-level work, such as making sure facilities are adequate.
Groundbreaking for the Phase II Apartment Complex, located on Stout Drive, took place April 29. The buildings, which cost $31,300,000, are still in the construction phase. When completed, the building will house 402 students and two staff members.
Construction at the D.P. Culp University Center was recently completed, which involved making the Culp more “usable, pleasant and comfortable.”
“We go through a process of hiring an architect for specifications, bidding for contractors is done by the state, who afterwards determines the choice of contractors,” said Tony Warner, assistant vice president of the university center.
Matthew Jeffers, a senior English major, when asked whether or not campus construction has been an inconvenience, said, “Since the beginning of this year, not as bad. However, last year it was. I had to keep a spare tire in the back of my car thanks to loose nails, which caused two of my tires to go flat.
“The glowing cylinder thing in the center of the Culp is distracting though, it reminds me of Star Trek.”
Kaitlyn Bass, a sophomore who is undeclared, said, “Dorm construction has made it inconvenient for me, and others who had to stay at hotels the beginning of this semester.
“It’s hazardous, I wound up with a nail in my tire.”
For more information, please visit: www.etsu.edu/plant.

Author