Highway 93 from Cherry Road to Sherman Street will close completely on Saturday, July 14 at 5 am. This section of 93 will remain closed until July 22nd. A one lane road will remain open between Sherman Street and College Avenue during this time. Flaggers will be present 24 hours a day to allow access to Sherman Street from College Avenue for construction and residential traffic.
No thru-traffic will be allowed.
A significant section of Highway 93 will be closed to traffic on Thursday, July 5, from 9:00 PM until 6:00 AM the following day. The closure will span from the intersection with Sherman Street to the intersection with Cherry Road. The closure is necessary in order to tie new chill water lines from 93 to the College of Business as well as the Alumni Center. During this time, contractor A West will have flaggers at College Avenue and Sherman Street in order to turn that part of the highway into a two-way road.
Due to the difficulties and safety concerns that arose on Sunday, June 24 with attempting to prep barricades and fencing in advance of closing additional street access, the next barricade extension will take place on Sunday, July 1 while traffic is lightest. The road construction traffic barriers will be extended through the College Avenue intersection. Once the barriers have been relocated, traffic will not be able to reach College Avenue from Highway 93 traveling eastbound.
Access to Sherman Street And College Avenue from Highway 93 will be “one-way in” traveling from the Cherry Road intersection and “one-way out” traveling towards the Williamson road intersection.
Traffic flowing from College Avenue will still be able to turn right onto Highway 93, but large trucks may have more difficulty making the turn due to the reduced opening onto 93.
Below are several updates to the Highway 93 construction schedule.
Road construction traffic barriers are going to be extended on Monday, June 25, to the College Avenue intersection. Traffic along Highway 93 will be one-way only from Cherry Road to College Avenue. At this time, traffic will no longer be able to travel towards Sherman Street from the College Avenue intersection. Access to Sherman from 93 will be “one-way in” traveling from the Cherry Road intersection and “one-way out” traveling towards the College Avenue intersection.
Road construction traffic barriers are going to be extended on Monday, July 2, to beyond College Avenue intersection. At this time, traffic will not be able to get to College Avenue from Highway 93 North bound. Access to Sherman Street and College Avenue from 93 will be “one-way in” traveling from the Cherry Road intersection and “one-way out” traveling towards the Williamson road intersection.
There will be two nights between 10 pm and 6 am when Highway 93 will be closed completely to allow utilities to be installed across the road. These dates are still to be determined and will be announced several days before closure.
As work extends beyond the Mell Hall (E-11) parking lot entrance, access to the parking lot will be left in, left out only. As utilities are crossing the entrance to the parking lot, the lot will have to be closed for one to two days. Dates for this crossing are still to be determined as construction gets closer to this crossing.
We are still on schedule and planning to block access to Highway 93 from College Avenue the second half of July.
In an effort to promote inclusion on campus, staff members from several Clemson University financial departments participated in ‘A Day in the Life of University Facilities,’ which allowed participants the chance to experience a typical work day for many Facilities employees: specifically, those in the areas of Custodial, Landscape, and Maintenance Services.
Sierra Holland, Administrative Coordinator to Brett Dalton and main organizer of the event, stated, “A Day in University Facilities was Brett’s idea. He really pushed to make this happen, as an opportunity for the CONNECT for Inclusion cohorts to gain a better appreciation of the effort it takes for our team members in Facilities to make our campus look as beautiful as it does. Going into the event, there was some reluctance as to the ‘real’ purpose behind having the cohort members spend a day in Facilities, as there was some concern about ulterior motives. There were complaints about starting the day at 4:30am with our custodial team members, as some had to make adjustments to their personal lives. But that is part of appreciating what other team members do. I take my daughter to school and wish her a good day. After having to be at work at 4:30am, I now have a greater appreciation for that time with her. I think once people got over being here so early, the day was a real success. I’ve received so many requests asking that we make this day a recurring event! Perhaps the biggest win is the number of suggestions I’ve received from the CONNECT for Inclusion cohort members advocating for our Facilities team members and the different things we can do to help make their working environment more comfortable – from dri-fit shirts for landscaping and grounds team members, to turning on the air conditioning/heat earlier for our custodial partners – the increased consideration for others has been touching to hear.”
Chris Miller, University Facilities Customer Service Manager, assisted with the planning of the two-day event. According to Chris, ‘Day in the Life’ provided a unique opportunity for the CONNECT for Inclusion cohorts to work alongside our frontline technicians. After speaking with many of the cohorts afterward, it was apparent that they not only came away a different perspective, but gained even more appreciation for what the Facilities’ staff members do for the University day-in and day-out.
“Brett Dalton’s vision for this event really came to life when you saw Todd Barnette painting athletic fields on a hot sunny day, Shirley Alexander and Lori Brierre insulating piping in a steamy Sirrine mechanical room, or Steve Crump spreading what seemed like endless yards of mulch behind ASC. It really was a great experience for both the cohorts and their Facilities partners. Even if it did start at 4:30am!” Chris said.
To kick off the event, cohorts joined the Custodial Department for their daily Safety Growl, which covered the negative effects of working while tired. From there, each cohort was paired with a custodian and worked side-by-side with them for 2 hours in the custodian’s assigned building. Next, the cohorts attended the Landscape Services Safety Growl where they learned how to identify and treat exposure to harmful plants like Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac. Everyone then traveled to the Academic Success Center to work with Landscape crews to re-mulch, pull weeds, and plant flowers in the area for 2 hours. The final leg of the day had each cohort partnering with a maintenance technician for 2 hours and assisting in various projects, such as painting athletic fields, insulating steam lines, pouring concrete, and installing electrical conduit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
