VIDEO: Faculty & Staff Town Hall centers on campus construction
Town Hall features questions about traffic, parking, summer detours and more, all answered by UND administrators
Editor’s note: On Wednesday, April 15, UND held a Town Hall meeting via Zoom for faculty and staff. The Town Hall focused on upcoming UND construction projects and road closures, as well as anticipated summer construction expected to impact campus.
A video of the Town Hall (with closed captions available) is above, while below is a time-stamped list of questions that were asked and answered during the event.
The questions were posed by Meloney Linder, UND’s vice president for Marketing & Communications and lead facilitator for Thursday’s Town Hall.
****
Today is a great way for the campus community to get information about upcoming construction, both in terms of UND’s long-range plan (which is now under development) and also construction and activities that are happening in the near term, UND President Andy Armacost says in his introduction to the Town Hall.
01:05: Karla Mongeon-Stewart, vice-president for Finance & Operations, gives an overview of the Town Hall’s agenda and presentation.
02:41: Les Bjore, director of Planning & Design for UND Facilities Management, gives an update on how campus master planning is going.
04:24: Brian Larson, director of Construction Management for UND Facilities Management, updates the campus on the multiple construction plans that contractors will carry out this summer, including the work that will be taking place at the intersection of 42nd Street and DeMers Avenue.
Questions for Brian Larson:
14:39: Regarding the with the 42nd and DeMers underpass project, was any consideration given to the idea of adding a back entrance to the Hilton Garden Inn, across from the gas station?
15:35: What will the Welcome Weekend traffic look like at the construction area surrounding the new STEM building, specifically for Colombia Road, Second Avenue North and Cornell Street? Also, can faculty, staff and students use those roads all summer, or will they be closed at any point?
16:30: Regarding Babcock Hall, will the removal of Babcock close part of the Engineering parking lot?
17:04: What is being done to preserve historically significant aspects of Babcock?
18:16: Has any thought been given to the congestion one encounters when exiting the parking ramp during these construction periods?
18:47: Back to Babcock Hall: Do you know if there are any plans to replace Babcock Hall with, say, a parking lot or green space? What will happen when the hall comes down?
19:14: What will the new Biomedical Sciences Building – the former bookstore space – be called?
20:44: Corey Shock, director of Operations for UND Facilities Management, updates the campus on some infrastructure and maintenance projects that are going to be taking place this summer.
Questions for Corey Shock:
25:51: What is the expected extent of the planned outages that were mentioned? Will they include services such as internet and phone?
26:16: How much notice before the outages will units in affected buildings have?
27:13: Can you also talk about the fiber optic project that we are doing for the Grand Forks airport?
28:14: Will the Centennial Drive walking bridge project include an update to the sidewalk between Gamble and Bertness?
29:04: Is there an opportunity to provide feedback to designated personnel about the landscaping?
30:01: Jennifer Duffy, director of Auxiliary Services for UND Facilities Management, updates the campus on any expected disruptions to parking due to construction this summer.
32:21: Is UND going to replace the associate vice president position in Facilities Management?
33:18: Can minor investments be made to the sidewalk between Gamble and Burtness to address the square that seems to be a hazard all winter long?
33:57: Any changes to parking fees that we can expect as we head into the new academic year?
34:32: Will there be any parking maps available for download or use?
35:51: What are the long-term plans for Gamble Hall?
37:33: Regarding the protected turn lights at North 42nd Street and Gateway Drive, are there any plans to accommodate the additional traffic that will be using that intersection when 42nd and DeMers closes?
38:11: A lot more vehicles appear to be parked in the same spots in our residential parking areas for days or even weeks. Are there things that Parking can or will do to ensure that parking is available daily for commuters?
39:25: What will happen over the summer with the handicap parking at Burtness?
40:47: Can the sidewalk in front of McCannel Hall also be looked at? It dips down, and it fills with water and ices over as the snow melts. Several staff have fallen on it this winter when it gets extremely icy.
41:24: Have there been any thoughts on replacing the bricks that are breaking down on the walkways?
41:36: The timing of snow removal and the treating of icy sidewalks seemed to not be well synced with the winter weather and when campus opened on time, despite accumulating snow and ice. Are there plans to improve this? Many people had near misses or falls on the ice this year, as it was an extremely icy winter.
42:56: Is there a master campus plan for landscaping?
43:47: What is the future of Johnstone, Fulton, and Smith residence halls?
44:16: Have there been any updates regarding the land on the northwest corner of campus – the Carleton Court Apartments area?
45:06: With all the construction, will it impact our KiwiBot food delivery services?
45:29: Are the trains still passing through campus during the 42nd and DeMers underpass project?
46:11: Can the “cattle path” between West Hall and the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center parking lot be looked at?
46:50: Are there any changes being considered for the lot behind the Board Room coffee house, in the wake of the rezoning that happened this year for Special Student Only permits? This lot seems to have frequent open spots.
47:54: Are there any details on any changes that are being made to the Burtness-Gamble lot, given the expected increase in people parking in there the next few years?
48:31: Will pedestrian traffic need to navigate fully to the north or the south during the West Centennial Drive reconstruction?
49:13: Who patrols the parking lot for the new Bookstore location? Are all of the spaces for customers in the center of the apartment building?
49:46: We’ve noticed that the Eternal Flame is out a lot. Who should people call when they notice that the flame is out?
50:24: Brian, you mentioned that the train will be rerouted but will continue to operate. Where will the train be rerouted to, and will it affect any other roads or traffic flow?
50:57: Are there any upcoming constructions plans for the Chester Fritz Library or the Chester Fritz Performing Arts Center?
51:48: Are there any plans to update or work on the maintenance of the parking ramp? There are ceilings that are leaking, and the ramp is increasingly the entry point for visitors to campus for events.
52:54: Will the Columbia Road Overpass remain open this summer or are there any construction plans for that?
