As another semester nears its end, students continue to hunt for the nearest available parking spot and trudge through the familiar hallways on their way to class. The masses of students hustle in and out of the doors of the many buildings of the historic TJC campus, many of which display flooring and paint not upgraded in several years.
Over the Christmas break, improvements in many of the TJC facilities will be underway. Paint, tile and carpet, is slated to be installed at several locations on campus.
Carpet replacement will take place in the hallways of White administration building and the Rogers board dining room. Paint and new carpet will also be implemented in the support services and testing center, where it has not been upgraded in 20 years.
New tile will be installed in the athletic field house, the Wise Cultural Arts Center practice rooms, the Learning center and Potter hall, which is also to receive new paint. In addition, a privately funded extension will be made to the Brundrett Gardens in front of Wise Auditorium.
“We looked at the facilities and determined these changes were necessary to make the buildings more comfortable and inviting for education,” said Brian Turman, director of camps services.
While the modifications occurring over the Christmas break will be the most immediate visible improvement to the campus, the changes won’t stop here. While new flooring, paint, and furniture are in the process of being added in multiple locations throughout campus, new property acquisitions are underway.
“We’re in the process of creating a new master plan for the campus,” said Turman.
Among the potential property purchases is a 10.8 acre tract of land adjacent to the TJC West campus, a property on Fleishel St. and the College Books store. Four homes at 1003, 1011, 1015 and 1019 S. Porter Street have already been purchased by TJC and are soon to be demolished and will potentially become new parking for the school.
“Everybody would like to see more parking on campus. Sometimes it seems impossible to find a parking spot in time to make it to class,” sophomore Jason Norton said.
In addition to new construction and remodeling of existing buildings is the continued preventative maintenance performed on the facilities, including repairs and upkeep on the school’s security cameras
With facilities being upgraded and existing structures undergoing routine maintenance, campus services will remain busy throughout each semester.
