Vol. 38, No. 18

3-4-2004
By: Randy Gammage

Oval Master Plan

A facelift for the Oval

The treasured 14-acre Oval, which withstands as much use as the university’s athletic fields each year, will soon be getting a comparable dose of tender loving care.

Oval Restoration 2001 is the first of four phases of the Oval Master Plan aimed at addressing deferred maintenance issues, and includes walkway replacement, irrigation, and turf and lighting restoration, said Stephen Volkmann, university landscape architect.

“Irrigation will provide a lawn that will withstand the heavy use and recover more quickly from the increasingly heavy demands placed on the Oval by campus organizations and special events,” Volkmann said.

Construction is scheduled to begin May 1, and be completed by Oct. 8. Volkmann said all walks are to be complete and lawn restoration fencing in place and ready by Sept. 18 for the start of autumn quarter. To allow for a healthy stand of grass to be established, a four-foot high chain link fence will surround turf areas until spring quarter 2005, he said.

The construction is to be divided into two phases — east and west — split along the north/south walk leading from the Faculty Club, Volkmann said. The west half of the Oval will be closed and fenced off with an eight-foot fence during spring quarter restoration work. When that section is complete, lawn protection fencing will be installed, major walks will be opened and the eastern section will then be fenced off for construction.

Volkmann stressed that no existing Oval parking will be removed during this initial implementation phase of the Oval Master Plan.

“While the Oval Master Plan does recommend removal of parking from the Oval in subsequent phases, the university is studying various options to provide adequate parking in the area of the Faculty Club and the Main Library,” Volkmann said.

The architectural team working on the library renovation project will further study the issue. For more details on the library project, contact Scott Conlon, Facility Planning and Development. To discuss parking issues related to the Oval project, contact Volkmann.

The remaining phases of the Oval Master Plan also are designed to minimize maintenance costs, and will entail creating simplified plantings and plazas at the entrances to the buildings surrounding the Oval, and a 20-foot wide loop walk composed of asphalt pavers with granite curbing around the perimeter of the lawn area being restored.

“When we complete the loop walks, the hope is that we can use that as a staging area for events and save the lawn,” Volkmann said.

The university’s Board of Trustees approved Oval Restoration 2001 in February. Future phases will be implemented as funding is identified, he said, with a phase to be implemented through the Main Library renovation project. No other phases are funded or approved at this time, Volkmann said.

The landscape architect’s estimated construction cost for this phase of construction is $2.5 million. Total project cost is $3 million (which includes construction cost plus fees for architectural design and survey, and permits), Volkmann said. Funding for this phase comes from state funds used for basic renovation projects and general funds.

A FAQ sheet has been posted on the Department of Physical Facilities Web site . Click on “Restoration of the Oval” under News and Announcements.

onCampus Home