By Wini Austin
austinwi@grinnell.edu
As part of the continuing campus construction saga, the College has begun the construction of a sidewalk across Mac Field. After the fence came down in the summer of 2018, many students thought they had seen the last of tractors, dirt piles and restricted areas around the field. The current construction project now occupies half of Mac Field and areas in front of Younker Hall and the Harris Center.
According to Joe Bagnoli, department head of admission and financial aid, the new sidewalk is part of the broader campus landscape project dating back to 2015. In an email to The S&B, Bagnoli wrote that the walkway is “intended to serve all students, faculty and staff moving between the Bear, Harris and the parking lot across from the Bear to destinations that currently require a walk through a snowy or muddy field or around the field to the loggia by Smith.” The project includes the installation of seating and lighting to provide places for spectators to view activities happening on the now two separate fields.
Photo by Shabana Gupta
Bagnoli wrote that another consideration in the construction of the sidewalk was “the new ‘center of gravity’ created with the HSSC.” The lack of parking near the new Humanities complex creates a need for “an enhancement to the experience of walking from the parking lot across from the Bear to the HSSC.”
Various students expressed frustration with the seeming lack of student input into disruptive campus landscape projects. However, according to Bagnoli, students were involved in the determination of the location of the sidewalk. When the campus landscape project was being developed four years ago, there was an SGA-appointed student position on the Building Projects Committee, which oversees the Comprehensive Landscape, Entry and Wayfinding committee. Bagnoli wrote that he “recalls working with a few different students (now graduates) over the years on questions related to the use of Mac Field and the dimensions required for the various activities occurring there.”
Students who are interested in learning more about the Campus Landscaping, Entry, and Wayfinding Project can find more detailed explanations of each project, updates, and the overall timeline on the College’s website. According to the timeline, landscape construction on campus will conclude by November 2019.
