The Department of Facilities Services this past weekend closed off the path around the cannon and the back of Goddard Chapel for curb replacement and new planting, according to Vice President for Operations Dick Reynolds.
The changes were originally scheduled to take place over the summer as a part of the campus improvement program, but they were pushed back when the necessary construction materials were not available in time, according to Reynolds. He anticipates the path will be reopened by the end of the week.
The updated section of the walkway will feature a granite curb that will create a more uniform appearance with the rest of the path in front of Ballou Hall, Reynolds said. New hedging will replace the plants between the path and the President's Lawn, he added.
The changes were prompted by comments from visiting parents and alumni about the appearance of the path.
"We discovered that a lot of parents and alumni and parents of people visiting the university have commented that they thought it didn't look in keeping with the quality of [the university]," he said. "We decided that since that's a major area as people go from the upper campus [to lower campus], it should be keeping with the quality of the rest of the area."
While the redone curb will be granite, the path itself will remain asphalt, according to Reynolds.
"The curbs were asphalt, and it just wasn't attractive," he said, adding that the vegetation between the walk and the lawn was "pretty scruffy."
