Recent construction has many frustrated, annoyed

Prairie View students, faculty and guests are currently feeling the heat of the current road repairs on campus.

According to Richard Norton, assistant vice president of the physical plant, the first phase of the 60-day project that officially started Jan. 5 includes roads T.R. Soloman and O.J. Thomas and is expected to be completed in two weeks. Each road in the project will have a newer, safer surface and will include several speed bumps.

"I'm just ready for it all to be over. All of my classes are in Hobart and it's an inconvenience having to walk all the way around the construction site," said junior music major Leroy Cook.

The next phase of the project will be in front of University Village on L.W. Minor leading to FM 1098. Students will be asked to enter University Village through the gate on Oscar Pipkins Street and use the Health Center parking lot to travel. The parking lot is open only for students to drive through and anyone parking in the reserved section will be ticketed. The second phase of the construction project will begin after the first is finished.

"We're trying our best to accommodate the students and guests, but we need help from the students. We need support from the on-campus students because they're killing us," said Tressey Wilson, assistant vice president of auxiliary services, in relation to the overcrowded parking lots. "We need the student body to be a little more patient with us."

The $583,000 project should be completed by spring break.

The parking department is asking that on-campus students remain parked in their housing parking lots during 7 a.m to 7 p.m. so that commuter drivers will have available parking spaces. Tickets are currently being issued only to students parking in tow-away zones, behind dumpsters, handicap parking and fire lanes. Commuter students receiving tickets in areas that are permitted parking should file for an appeal in the parking office right away. More information on parking rules can also be found at www.pvamu.edu.

"We're working to enforce students living on campus to park in their designated residential areas. Residential students parking in any areas other than the residential areas are receiving citations," said parking supervisor Augustus Manuel. Parking appeals hearings will begin Feb. 12 at 9:30 a.m. in the MSC. Students are encouraged to go to the Parking Office and get their decals as soon as possible. They can apply the $40 to their fees.

The construction project slated to begin October 2008 was delayed due to Hurricane Ike damaging the construction company hired to work for Prairie View.

"There was never a good time to start the construction," said Norton.