During 2013, the University continued to expand and improve across campus. From academic and residential spaces to athletic venues, UT continues to transform.
Brick columns and fencing similar to that on Kennedy has been installed. The paver blocks and brick bands of the pool deck are completed. The locker room with showers, new lighting strong enough so the pool can be used after dark and security cameras were installed in October. All new furniture, including six cabanas, has been added.
North Walker Hall had summer renovations and now houses three critical student support offices—Academic Advising, the Academic Center for Excellence and Student Success—which constitute the new Academic Success Center. The original classrooms and two faculty laboratories were moved from the center to the south end of the building, with no reduction of classroom or laboratory space. The northern half of North Walker is the new home for the Academic Success Center. In addition, a new crosswalk has been installed across Spartan Lane between North Walker and the Sykes College of Business parking lot.
The University renovated and made some minor modifications to East Walker Hall, which is just west of the aquatic center. The renovations are primarily interior with a 2,500-square-foot addition to the existing space to the north and west.The one-story former fairgrounds building most recently housed ROTC, and now includes general classroom and office space, including administrative space for IT functions.
The 11-story, 523-bed residence hall on Kennedy Boulevard, between North Brevard Avenue and North Boulevard, enriches the co-curricular environment for students and reflects the latest in University campus amenities.
"Residence Hall 7 (West Kennedy Hall) is a great addition to the housing offerings we currently have for residential students," said Krystal Schofield, associate dean of students. "The standard suite houses four students with two bathrooms, which is a great selling point for students."
Schofield also said the students are excited by the great programming spaces available for student groups on the 11th floor. West Kennedy Hall will represent the 25th new or substantially redesigned facility on UT's campus in the past 15 years.
The residence hall opened for move-in this August. It was designed and developed with LEED certification as a project goal. A solar array heats two-thirds of water used by residents.
The Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex was completed in April with a ribbon cutting and inaugural game on April 5. The complex includes a multi-purpose field, a 1,450-seat stadium, two spectator berms, restrooms, a concession area, parking, team meeting rooms and a support building. The field, which will be used for numerous intramurals as well as other sports, is also home to the UT men's lacrosse team, which played its inaugural season this spring. It is also home to the women's lacrosse team, which began play during the 2013-2014 academic year. Learn more about the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex.
Improvements to the Naimoli Family Softball Stadium were completed this spring 2013 and include a new sidewalk, lighting, batting cage and facelift to the press box.
Located directly behind the Martinez Athletics Center, the field was built in 1989 and has seating room for approximately 200 spectators.
The Thompson Building's warehouse facility was expanded, creating more storage for equipment, covered parking and offices.
The building, attached to the historic Thompson Building, includes space for the wide variety of maintenance needs at the University, including grounds maintenance, central receiving, information technology technical support and telecommunications, facilities management administration, furniture moving and conference set-ups.
“We used to be in different buildings,” said John Gavin, maintenance manager, who oversees a team of 16 employees, including two supervisors. “Having everyone under one roof helps us keep things operating smoothly.”
In the carpentry shop, staff carpenters build custom furniture pieces, from podiums to bars, in a state-of-the-art wood working shop. The paint shop gives workers a central storage area for all the different paints used on campus as well as a place to clean and store tools. Separate plumbing, electrical and HVAC shops keep the many pipes, valves and fittings, light bulbs and wires, belts and refrigerants organized and give workers space to make needed repairs. The locksmith shop provides easy accessibility to students needing key repairs. There is even a closet used to store the wide variety of special items, including the signage found on campus.
