Month: May 2018

The Douthit Hills construction project is rapidly approaching completion.  Douthit Hills East is currently housing students enrolled in summer classes, and Douthit Hills West will open in June.  The Hub, which features a recreation center, retail and residential dining options, CUPD offices, and the new Barnes & Noble bookstore, will open in early August.

The project will complete as a LEED Silver rated complex in accordance with Clemson’s ongoing efforts to grow into a greener campus. For more information on what it means to be a LEED rated project, see the U.S. Green Building Council’s website here: https://new.usgbc.org/leed

The gallery below gives a glimpse of the interior and exterior features that residents will enjoy in this brand new, state of the art housing facility.

GALLERY

The ClemsonLIFE program continues to grow so much that its current headquarters on the third floor of Godfrey Hall is no longer adequate for its size. In response to a need for additional square footage, ClemsonLIFE will move to a new location on Clemson’s main campus.

Starting this summer, ClemsonLIFE will officially claim the garden level of Tillman Hall as its new home. With an expected 13 new students arriving this fall–increasing the program’s enrollment to 40 students–the goal of the move is to establish a larger, inviting ‘home’ for all. The additional space in the garden level suite will be converted into a dedicated conference room for faculty,  and feature three classrooms for students. Director Erica Walters credits Founding Dean of the College of Education and ClemsonLIFE advocate George Petersen for acquiring the space and arranging the move, and Rick Owens of University Facilities for managing the renovations required by the program.

“It has been a true team effort, with support from President Clements, Dean Petersen, Dr. Joe Ryan, Rick Owens and his team, ” said Walters. “In August, the students of ClemsonLIFE will walk into a high-tech, top-notch facility that matches the Clemson Forward vision in research, engagement, academics, and living. We are thrilled to be a part of the Clemson family and ingrained in the culture of Clemson.”

One of the renovations included a full-floor restoration. The work was completed by external contractors, two full-time employees from ClemsonLIFE, as well as additional program volunteers.

ClemsonLIFE students will also enjoy new living quarters beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year. Housing has arranged for the students to move from Lightsey Bridge to the new Douthit Hills suites at the beginning of the fall semester.

Spring Flower Planting

Before entering the new suite, visitors will notice a new flower bed on Tillman’s north side. That’s the work of ClemsonLIFE participants, who worked with Landscape Services to plant various flora, which included “Setsugekkas” (camellia sassanqua), “Big Blues” (Liriope muscari), and “‘Nana’ Dwarf Yaupon Holly” (ilex vomitaria). The north side will also receive a new building awning welcoming students, families and guests to the main entrance, while still keeping with the traditional visual of Tillman.

As part of a long-term project to restore and renovate Hunnicutt Creek in the woods between Highway 93 and the R-1 parking lot, University Facilities is using an unconventional tactic to tackle the first challenge of clearing the underbrush around the stream: Goats.

Restoring Hunnicutt Creek

Running east to west, Hunnicutt Creek crosses the Clemson campus through its wooded areas and ends at the Seneca River. With years since its last renovation, the creek bed has gradually lost sediment and a well-defined separation of the creek bed to its bank. Surrounding the creek is overgrown underbrush of varying invasive species and countless trees. These problems compound to make it a difficult task for equipment to clear the surrounding area. The goal of the restoration is to better define Hunnicutt from its bank and establish flood plains for the creek.

Bring in the Goats

Before contractors can properly estimate the work needed to restore the creek, the overgrown underbrush must first be cleared so that the soil is visible. However, due to the geography bordering the creek bed, modern equipment would be both expensive and difficult. University Facilities has decided instead to use a non-technological solution with goats.

Known for their large appetite for grass and other vegetation, the herbivores have been used in similar projects with successful results. The goats began grazing on the underbrush near the new Clemson water tower almost immediately after arrival on April 16. The six-acre area is estimated to be sufficiently cleared within one to two months.

A plan for perpetual maintenance

The restoration of Hunnicutt Creek marks the beginning of a continued effort of maintaining the stream moving forward. By using goats over costly equipment to clear the land, Facilities highlights its dedication of serving the campus, while keeping costs low.

As construction continues on Highway 93 to upgrade the electrical infrastructure and chilled water lines, workers will shift the barricades that are currently on the road to close an additional lane. As a result, only one lane of travel from Cherry Road to Sherman Road (heading westbound toward Seneca) will be available from Saturday, May 12 to Sunday, August 12. Drivers should expect intermittent shifts in the roadway and are asked to watch for the road signs that signal the shift.

As construction progresses, this closure will be expanded further along 93, past Sherman Road.

The Sikes Hall parking lot will be inaccessible for those entering Calhoun Drive from 93. However, Parkway can still be reached by entering Calhoun from Fort Hill St. or Fernow St.

Updates on the speed of construction will be posted weekly if not daily to this blog. Timeframes are subject to change based on weather and logistics.

The Hoke Sloan Tennis Center continues to undergo renovations that will lead to a modern facility for players and guests.  Now 24 years old, the Center was in need of significant remodeling for the expansion of the Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs.  Once complete, it will meet the needs of collegiate play for decades to come.

Current Progress

The project has concluded its demolition phase as evidenced by the Center’s complete deconstruction and removal.  The area will be entirely refurbished except for the varsity grandstands and courts. A new indoor tennis center will expand the covered courts from 4 to 6 and will be attached to a new clubhouse containing conference rooms, coaching offices, and discrete viewing areas for the courts. The new structure is a pre-engineered metal building that will run east to west to make the best use of the lot’s space, fitting in more area to play. As of this time, the pre-engineered building has arrived, and erection of the steel support pillars has commenced.

Currently without a facility, Clemson’s tennis teams have relocated their practices to Southern Wesleyan in Central and Nettles Park in Pendleton. Meanwhile, Anderson University has served as the host for official matches.

Going Forward

Once finished, the new facility will house locker rooms for both tennis and  soccer teams, the latter of which play at Riggs Stadium. The clubhouse will contain public restrooms and a concessions stand for spectators, and the area will now have its own dedicated lot for guest parking.

While the demolition phase of the project has concluded, there still remains a long road ahead for construction crews in the following months through Spring and Summer (with the project still estimated to be completed sometime in August of 2018) in building the facility. The result will be a complex that will better fit the needs of Clemson’s Tennis program for next year’s season and for many seasons to follow.

With the Spring semester concluding this Friday, much of the student body will be leaving campus until Fall. University Housing in collaboration with University Facilities is helping ease the move-out by providing disposal containers in convenient locations throughout campus, with donation drop-offs setup at various points.

Disposal Container Locations

Locations of disposal containers for the spring 2018 move-out can be viewed below. They’ve been placed specifically for the convenience of students living currently within residence halls.

Key:

Green – Cardboard
Red – Landfill
Blue – Metal
Pink – Miscellaneous

Donation Drop-Off Locations

If you have belongings that you wish to donate to charity, the visual below shows where items can be dropped-off.

Thanks in advance for taking advantage of these options to help Clemson reduce, reuse and recycle. Have a safe summer and we look forward to supporting you in the Fall!