Prep work on Wood Hall lot included tree removal

An alert reader asks: What’s going on over in the Wood Hall parking lot? A row of about two dozen mid-sized pine trees has been taken down in what seems to be preparation for a larger project. Her observation is correct. There is a larger project in store once preliminary steps are completed.  In a nutshell, the center “island” in the Wood/Rose parking area is being traded for more berm acreage bordering the far (west) end of the lot, and a new berm to be created on the (east) end closest to Wood Hall. New trees and/or shrubs will be planted on those berms. The changes will create a larger, contiguous parking area, making the lot fairly similar in layout to the Laboratory Sciences lot and adding 113 parking spaces. The work is funded by parking program revenue. Paul Pinkston, interim director of facilities management, says the reconfiguration and berm work also relate to long-term plans to extend the campus inner-loop road from Laboratory Sciences. (Incidentally, Pinkston adds, for those who cringe whenever a mature tree is cut down, the pines removed from the center berm were falling victim to disease and fungus, likely caused by having been planted too close together, for windbreak and screening purposes, years ago.)


And what’s that addition at Residence Life?

Visible to drivers on South Circle Drive is a construction project under way at the edge of the Residence Life complex. It’s a modest, 1,600-foot addition providing garage space for the Residence Life maintenance shop. Funded by program revenue, the addition will be finished by early August.