Those who spent the summer in Wilmington may have noticed a change of scenery while passing through campus and attending summer classes.  For more than three months, the landscape has been occupied by neon orange signs, heavy machinery and workers in hard hats—signs of changes to come.

Much of the work on construction projects around campus has taken place during the summer so that come the start of the fall semester, students, faculty and staff can travel through campus easily and access facilities like the Student Recreation Center without any major inconvenience.

Charles Maimone, Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs, says good progress has been made on both the Student Recreation Center and the neighboring psychology building.

“With the framing up you can see how the psychology building relates to McNeill Hall and better imagine how the future quad area will look with the third and fourth buildings,” said Maimone.

Once the steel framing of the psychology building is erected, most of the work will take place inside the building. There will be less need for heavy equipment, and activity surrounding the site will dissipate and be less disruptive to campus, according to Maimone. The sidewalk along Price Drive is also complete, opening up the area to foot traffic.

Although some projects are still in progress, others have been finished just in time for the start of the semester. Construction on Schwartz Hall and the University Suites to install fire alarms and sprinklers is complete. After six summers of outfitting residence halls with compulsory fire protection systems, all campus housing is now equipped with these devices. According to Maimone, the construction area around Schwartz has also been cleaned up. “[That] should make it much easier to walk and ride along Wagoner Drive,” he said.

Additionally, the amphitheatre beside the Fisher Student Center, a project sponsored by the Student Government Association, is now complete. Updated with new seating and lighting, the venue can now be used for campus events.

Usable but not entirely complete, UNCW’s portion of the Wilmington Cross City Trail has been equipped in time for fall with call boxes and a crosswalk. Maimone says it is still in need of some finishing touches, though the project is nearing completion.

Far from the core of the university, but still a valuable resource to students living off campus, the commuter student park and ride lot at the intersection of Hurst and College has been resurfaced and the parking spaces repainted. The shuttle service will provide transportation to and from this lot all year.