The fences are the result of a project led by Pomona's Office of Facilities and Campus Services that includes repurposing several parking lots on South Campus in an effort to create a more pedestrian-friendly campus. The goal of the project is to provide students more freedom to walk around campus. By removing some vehicle-accessible roads, including Dartmouth St. and 4th St., the college hopes students and faculty will find it easier and more welcoming to walk around campus.The project began in late August, just as students were arriving.
 

The construction follows the summer completion of the new South Campus Parking and Athletic Facility, and is the latest phase in the college’s "Master Plan," which was proposed ten years ago. The new facility, which includes ultra-efficient lighting fixtures and native landscaping throughout the grounds, contains two levels of parking with 600 spaces and a lacrosse-size athletic field on the roof. The Office of Facilities and Campus Services was able to take on this most recent construction project because of the space freed up by the excess parking lots.

“Basically [it will] make it so you can stroll across campus without having to dodge cars,” said Bob Robinson, Assistant Vice President and Director of the Office of Facilities and Campus Services.

Improvements between Harwood and Mudd-Blaisdell dorms will include a large recreational area, a pergola with a barbecue, a hammock garden (something students have requested for some time), and a social area with tables and chairs that students may use to gather or study.  The seating areas will all have electrical floor outlets for students to take full advantage of the space. The City of Claremont is currently reviewing the plans for this area and the administration hopes to complete the construction by the end of the semester.

Other construction taking place includes the renovation behind Big Bridges Auditorium that includes an expanded pedestrian walkway between Bridges and Rains Athletic Center, and, to the south, an outdoor venue where the college can hold campus-wide events. Pomona hopes these developments will provide a short-term resolution for the use of that space that will not reach too far into its pockets.

“Ultimately, there needs to be a long run renovation of Bridges,” Robinson said.

Fourth St. will eventually become part of an expansion plan for Marston Quad. The design for this area has not yet been determined, but it is expected to begin in October. The college decided to reopen 4th St. last week because the details have not yet been ironed out.

“When you’re changing an iconic place like Marston Quad, it requires a great deal of insight from a variety of people,” Robinson said.

The college has also set aside a parking lot next to Seaver Theatre to be the location for a new studio art building. The 25 million dollar project should be completed by late 2013.

Excluding the new studio art building, the renovations were guided by a large amount of student input. The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) reviewed the basic plans for the sites last semester and gave their suggestions for the new communal areas. In particular, the idea for the hammock garden originated from South Campus residents, whose proposal last year led to the development of a hammock garden program on North Campus.

While the renovations between Mudd-Blaisdell and Harwood are underway with a late-November to early-December completion date, the other projects will take more time to complete. Once the designing process for 4th St. comes to an end, the college foresees a June start date at the earliest. Pomona expects to finish the project behind Bridges sometime in the coming year.

Unfortunately, the construction outside the residence halls has negatively affected some students. Despite efforts to complete the “noisy work” before the start of classes, some students have complained about the din caused by the ongoing construction.

“It was really noisy; every morning at 6:30 they’d be working, [and] I couldn’t sleep,” said Robert Ventura PO ’14.

Some students have expressed concern for the sustainability of the project: increasing green space also means increasing water use. However, Robinson assured students that the developments include a very small percentage of grass space, with California native plants comprising most of the greenery. Pomona has made sustainability a focus as well by installing storm drains to capture runoff.