The fountain project completion date has been pushed back to spring.
CASSIE SLOAN sloancj@lopers.unk.edu
While some construction sites near completion and are on schedule, there is still one that will be completed later than expected. Last month, the fountain in the
middle of campus was pro-
jected to be finished. Now,
in the middle of November,
the fountain is still incom-
plete. It has been over a year
since the fountain was de-
molished in order to repair
pipes running underground
from the Student Union to
25th Street. Differing com-
pletion dates have come
and gone since then.
To answer the questions of UNK students, Micheal Cremers, the assistant di- rector of facilities manage- ment and planning, pro- vided some insight. He said that inclement weather was the cause of the delay in the fountain construction. There have been two brief snow storms and numerous days below freezing in the last two months. This cold weather has had an impact on the construction pro- cess, as the well-being of the workers is, of course, being
taken into account. Haus-
mann Construction contin-
ues to work on the fountain
as much as they can, and
despite the weather, there
has been progress.
The new projected date
for the completion of the
fountain is spring 2020,
Cremers said.
“Construction on the
fountain will continue
throughout the winter, as
weather conditions allow,”
Cremers said.
The STEM Building is still
on track to be finished by
spring of 2020. Everything
is running smoothly and is
on time.
In preparation for fall 2020 classes, the building
will officially open next
August.
As for Warner Hall’s exte-
rior construction progress,
the concrete is now being
poured, as a paver has
come in to finish the job.
The lighting for the street is
also being installed, with an
estimation for the pavement
to be illuminated by this
December. Additionally, a
large gateway monument
is expected to be built and
finished by spring of 2020.
All the landscaping and
final components are to
be implemented by early
spring as well. Currently,
the ramp on the east side of
the building is completed.
The handrail is expected
to be painted in spring.
However, the south side of
the building continues to
be closed because of some
code compliance issues
discovered during the
construction process. These
issues are expected to be
corrected soon.
Otto Olsen’s projected
demolition is still set for
the fall 2020 semester. This
demolition date has been
dependent upon the reloca-
tion of facilities and depart-
ments within the building
and location. Many will be
moved to the STEM Build-
ing, which must be com-
pleted before the relocation
process can begin.
When asked if any addi-
tional campus construction
plans were in the works,
Cremers said, “While a va-
riety of projects are current-
ly being discussed, none
exist that are comparable
to the projects discussed
previously.”