Students and faculty living and working along Anderson Street received a welcome surprise Thursday when the fences surrounding the road, which has been under construction since August, were removed, giving pedestrian's access to the street.
The removal of the fences comes days before the Saturday, Dec. 1 deadline outlined by associate vice president for Facilities Dick Vance. Although, Vance admits that the date was never something that was set in stone and that it had been somewhat arbitrary.
Rob Harper, assistant director of Facilities, agreed that the Dec. 1 date was not an accurate representation of how and when Anderson Street would be opened to the public. According to Harper, this first step of removing the fences will open the street to pedestrian traffic, whereas vehicle traffic will be allowed starting Dec. 10.
"There are still some odds and ends to complete," Harper said.
Senior Phillip Gray, a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, was still pleased to see the street outside his fraternity open to pedestrians.
"I guess a lot of us were wondering when the fences would be taken down," he said. "They've been up way too long - I haven't seen much construction done to the sidewalks in the last few weeks."
A short description on the DePauw Anderson Street webpage describes the Anderson Street project as being one of several that share a common goal in "drawing a closer connection between the campus and the community." Harper said he believes wholeheartedly that the new Anderson Street can lead to this connection and has in fact already drawn Greencastle and DePauw closer together. The project has even be partially funded by Greencastle through the Stellar Communities Grant.
"The project was run by the city with our coordination, and we've built a pretty good connection with the city," Harper said. "I've heard that everyone's excited for the new look. The vision from President Casey has always been a pedestrian campus, and I think the renovations will invite people to take a walk down the street."
Gray believes that despite the inconvenience of construction this past semester, the ends justify the means.
"The beautification of campus has come a long way since I was a freshman," Gray said. "It makes it more pleasurable walking out of Beta and seeing tree-lined streets. It was less than a semester of construction- in the long run it will be worth the inconvenience. The trees will grow, and it will last a really long time."
As far as other campus rehabilitation projects, Harper stated that requests for proposals to architecture firms are already in the works for projects like the new athletic complex, expanding the Lilly Physical Education and Recreation Center, the new center for student engagement and the dining hall.
In the mean time, Harper advises everyone to take a walk down Anderson Street and enjoy the brand new look.