By DAVID CLOUSTON

Salina Journal

What looks like an episode of "Extreme Makeover -- Campus Edition" is part of a master plan that will make the Kansas Wesleyan University campus a more connected home for students and faculty when it's finished.

Construction has started on a transformation of the former circle drive from the campus entrance on Claflin Ave.

The design is to feature boulders, a host of new landscaping and a water feature -- an artificial stone waterfall crafted from concrete and Fiberglas, which workers were sculpting Wednesday.

It's all part of a $1 million campus face-lift, a sidelight to the construction of a $10.5 million student activity and athletic cen-ter.

"This is really designed as a pedestrian mall," said Philip Kerstetter, university president and chief executive officer, describing the new campus entrance.

The limestone columns that formerly graced the entrance are to be relocated at the back of the campus. A wishing well that formerly stood near Pioneer Hall also is being relocated. Asphalt pavers, meanwhile, were working Wednesday on creating new walking paths, as wide as 15 feet.

The wide paths enable students and professors to walk abreast, to have "opportunity for dialogue and discussion," he said. The whole design is to give passersby a dramatic look at the campus when they're approaching coming down Santa Fe Avenue.

"The walkways are asphalt because it's softer to walk on ... almost all our brick on campus has this red and black combination. And really, the asphalt picks up that brick very nicely," Kerstetter said.

Recent rains slowed some of the progress of the landscaping and work on the fountain. Still, Kerstetter is optimistic the work will be completed by homecoming, which is scheduled to take place the second weekend in October.

The campus already has received city building inspection permission for occupancy of a portion of the student center. At present the building is about 25 percent occupied, Kerstetter said. The athletic coaching staff has moved into their offices, and four new classrooms in the building are in use; the largest is about 40 feet long by 30 feet wide.

Nearly finished is the new gymnasium, which will seat 1,500 people, about double the capacity of Muir Gymnasium, the former home for men's and women's basketball games. Muir Gym will serve as a practice facility.

"They (the workers) have been doing a great job in terms of trying to get this whole thing done," Kerstetter said. "We were doing really great until the rains came, and that really pushed us back."

n Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at dclouston@salina.com.

Join the Discussion:

Salina.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here. Read our full online terms of service policy.

mdf says....
They can build waterfalls but they CAN NOT lower fees? Now that is stupid!
8/21/2008

---

Post a comment
Your best chance of getting your comment posted:

• No profanity
• Be civil
• Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Comment:

Poster:

Enter text seen above:

Read our full use policy.