There are a number of exciting changes happening on campus this semester, as well as further in the future — construction, landscaping, repairs and upgrades are happening all over campus.
Long-term ongoing projects are being continued, and hopefully completed this year. While this school year is quickly coming to a close, the current progress on these projects looks hopeful for a 2023 completion date.
The renovations being made to the pavement between the West Center and DiGorgio Student Center were started in June of 2022. Facilities Management projected that this project would be finished during this past fall semester, but there was construction in this area as recently as two weeks ago.
While an official updated completion date has not been announced, they have replaced nearly all of the pavement in this area; the only part that has not been renovated is the sidewalk area leading to Courtyard.
With the coming of spring, landscaping is imminent. Winthrop’s landscapers come every spring in order to tend to the campus flora and fauna as well as replace any that died during this winter’s cold shock. As the weather improves, students can expect to see them weeding flower beds, mowing the grassy areas and trimming broken or dead limbs off of the trees.
Also happening this semester is the addition of new emergency call buttons. Winthrop’s “Blue Boxes”, or emergency service call stations, have a reputation of not working or contacting emergency services within a reasonable amount of time.
Starting in December of 2021, Winthrop has slowly been adding newer models of emergency call stations around campus. Newer models were installed around Courtyard in October, so students can expect to see them in other areas around campus before the end of the spring semester.
A longer term project ongoing during this semester is the gradual introduction of new and upgraded security cameras.
According to the Computing and Information Technology website, this project began in October 2021 and has seen consistent progression towards a June 2023 completion. There has not been an update on their progress since this past November, when the cameras in academic buildings started to be replaced.
After the fire that impacted Byrnes auditorium in 2018, there was uncertainty around when — or if — repairs would start. Facilities Management confirmed that renovations began in August 2022 to fix the fire damage, and that these repairs would be completed around March 2023. The auditorium’s doors may open once more before the end of this semester.
In November, Facilities Management also began upgrading the auditorium’s bathrooms, railings, and seating to ensure that it follows ADA guidelines for accessibility. These upgrades are projected to be completed at the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Necessary changes to Winthrop’s on-campus housing will also be completed soon. Phelps and Lee Wicker have been approved for a repair to their roofing, but Facilities Management has not released an official start date; it was estimated that Phase II approval of these repairs would happen in June 2022, but no update has been made to their website.
The demolition of Richardson and Wofford also has been submitted for approval, but no definitive dates have been released. While it is unclear whether they will happen this semester, these changes are among the first to be approved during Phase I.
Winthrop has multiple ongoing projects happening on campus, and this semester seems to be a turning point for the projected timeline of these renovations. 2023 is going to be a big year for Winthrop’s campus, and promises an overall better student experience.
