Miami Student

Issue date: 12/3/04 Section: Campus

The final phase of the multimillion-dollar effort to renovate Miami University's King Library is now underway - wrapping up almost a decade's worth of construction on the 38-year-old building."We're tremendously excited about being able to finish the renovation," said Richard Pettitt, associate dean of university libraries. "(The library) will be a wonderful place for students and faculty to be."Pettitt said repairs to the building's roof and foundation, which will help control water damage, began last month. All exterior construction is expected to conclude by late January or early February.The construction is scheduled to move inside March 1, where it will continue until fall 2006. The ground and third floors will undergo a major overhaul that will include the addition of a coffee shop and the expansion of the Walter Havighurst Special Collections.Although those floors will be largely inaccessible during the renovation, the quality of library services will not compromised, according to Jason Jackson, academic resident librarian. "Even though all services will still be intact, the library won't be as pleasant during the construction because of the noise and dust," Jackson said. "We realize that there are going to be inconveniences, but we're trying to minimize them. Students expressed dissatisfaction regarding the construction. "I usually come to the library to escape distractions, so the noise has been kind of annoying," senior Michael Kessel said. "I expect it to be quiet when I come here to study."Senior Amy Ciaravolo agreed."I do a lot of business group projects in the basement, so we'll have to find somewhere else to go," she said.Use of the other three campus libraries will be encouraged during the construction. The university also plans to create additional on-campus space to accommodate group studies, Pettitt said. Students are also complaining about the noise and mess caused by a construction project making its way down Talawanda Street this month.Starting early in the mornings, construction workers are installing underground cabling as part of the $12 million campus power upgrade project. Upon its completion, this project will accommodate the university's increasing electrical needs. "I understand they have to start early, but it's asking a lot of students to put up with the amount of noise they're making," sophomore Rachel Landers said.According to project manager Barry Pugh, work on Talawanda is expected to conclude in two weeks. The project will continue through the Withrow parking lot and past Cook Field, where there will be partial parking disruptions. "Our top priority is to restore parking spots and concentrate on traffic areas," Pugh said.

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