Mason’s Mortarboard

For anyone who has been on the Fairfax Campus in the last couple of months, it’s been hard not to notice the large amount of digging going on to the west of the Johnson Center. This is because workers are prepping the area for the expansion of the Performing Arts Building.

A typical duct bank of communication lines

The area is home to some of the campus’ most vital underground communication lines, so extensive rerouting is taking place. Workers are already preparing to pull the cables from their current locations. But building occupants need not worry; no cables will be cut until the evening of December 26. The work will continue throughout the break and the majority of it is supposed to be completed by the time campus reopens on January 5.

However, I’ve been told a number of times that this schedule does not take into account any weather-related delays. So if a nasty storm rolls through the area, there might be a lot of disgruntled faculty and staff on campus when we come back from the break — upset not just because the holidays are over, but also because their phones and/or internet don’t work.

During the project, every building on campus will be affected. But the final phase – the one that might linger past January 5 – could affect the following buildings:

* Center for the Arts/Concert Hall
* College Hall
* Fine Arts Building
* Johnson Center
* Mason Pond Parking Deck
* Performing Arts Building
* Visitor Information

…fingers crossed. (more…)