berglunds@lopers.unk.edu
As the fall semester approaches, there have been lots of updates to the construction happening around UNK’s campus.
Students can expect new projects like the Regional Engagment Center and other continued projects.
“I wouldn’t say anything we had planned is really different from last semester,” said Greg Christen, project manager of Facilities and Planning at UNK. “But we have had a lot happening over the summer.”
The Otto Olsen greenspace are still being worked on and landscaping in general.
Landscaping was finished at University Village, where an art sculpture will be installed by the end of the spring semester. A Loper statue will also be installed on the southwest corner of Randall Hall.
Lot 32, the commuter parking lot between Randall Hall and Otto Olsen was taken out this summer for landscaping. Those parking spots were replaced in Lot 10, and expanded it by roughly 75 new spots.
Fraternity and Sorority Life Housing construction started last year, but there have been some delays with materials. According to Christen, certain items would take about one or two months to arrive, but now items are taking closer to a year.
“At this point we have not delayed the building, and we feel like we’re getting ourselves into a good spot,” Christen said. “But obviously, we still have aways to go, and hopefully we can avoid any of those tough situations as much as we can.”
There are other new projects to expect including a bike trail and heavy planning for the library renovations.
“I know the library is a big deal and very important to the students,” Christen said. “So, we want to make sure the things we are doing are going to really have a long-term impact on the building and allow us to make upgrades to them in the future.”
Warner Hall will also be getting some work done to the infrastructure in January 2023.
“I know the construction is always disruptive, but we try our best to minimize that disruption to the students,” Christen said. “As always, we appreciate people’s patience as we work through these different projects and hopefully that little bit of disruption allows us to offer them better spaces when we are done.”
