|
|
|
|
|
Published in The Spectator, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire;
Thursday, November 1, 2001
Construction breeds frustration
Possible delay in completion date continues to
inconvenience
students, worshipers
By Bill Olson
Hibbard Hall should be a warm place this winter, thanks to construction scheduled to wrap up this week. Workers have been replacing pipes that
return steam condensate to the power plant, said Andrew Soll, vice chancellor for
business and student services.
The pipes were leaking, threatening to pollute the Chippewa River.
The construction has resulted in a section of Garfield Avenue being
reduced to one lane. Cars on both sides must wait for the lane to clear before
proceeding.
On Tuesday afternoon, westbound vehicles, including a state-owned van, were observed pushing through a drove of students as the single lane
cleared for oncoming traffic. The students were crossing the street
during
the break just before 1 p.m. classes.
"It's a hazard. They need to wrap this up," said Father George
Szews, pastor of the Roman Catholic parish at the Ecumenical Religious
Center.
Construction is scheduled to end today, Soll said.
"If the weather cooperates, we may make that, but if not, it'll be
not more
than a couple days," he said.
"What weather?" Szews said. "We had no rain yesterday. We
had nothing
bad yesterday," he said about Monday's weather.
Szews said he saw no one working on the site Monday.
But the weather that day was "perfectly fine," associate
professor of
geography Richard Palm said. "Skies were sunny with no undo amounts
of
wind, and no rain."
Tuesday, the construction trench was still open with pipes lying along
the
ground, and again, no one was working.
Palm described Tuesday's weather as off and on light rain showers.
"Those three sprinkles today couldn't have hurt a thing,"
Szews said. "I
don't know how they can put in sidewalk and sod and fill the trench in
what
is now only three days," he said.
The center has hosted weddings every Saturday in October, he said, and
the construction made access difficult for those attending.
The project, which cost $128,000, was contracted by M. Z. Construction
of Lindon.
|
|