Mason’s Mortarboard

Mason will soon be among an exclusive group of universities offering on-campus faculty and staff housing. Masonvale, which will eventually boast 150 homes of various sizes, will have the first 10 homes ready for occupancy by the end of July. Another 40 will be ready less than a month later.

But construction will reach beyond the borders of the new community. As part of the Masonvale project, the university will give the bordering Roberts Road a much-needed make over.

To make the area safer for pedestrians as well as vehicles, Roberts Road will be realigned, and extensive improvements will be made at the Shenandoah River Lane intersection. The improved intersection will feature a right-turn lane from Shenandoah onto Roberts Road, as well as right and left turn lanes on Roberts Road.

Further north on Roberts Road, Mason will create an entrance to Masonvale with additional turn lanes into the community to maintain traffic flow. Furthermore, Mason will build a continuation of the Fairfax County’s pedestrian trail along Roberts Road.

The narrow, yet well-traveled Roberts Road will require a great deal of tree pruning and removal. The tree removal will begin in late July and last approximately one month.  Project managers assure the community that traffic will not be affected in any way during that time.

However, the grading and utility work beginning in early August is likely to cause occasional lane closures. This work will be done by companies outside of Mason such as Verizon, Washington Gas and Virginia Power, making it difficult to predict a specific traffic schedule at this time.

The entire project is expected to be complete by early January 2010.

There was a time when it seemed every road on campus was being worked on. But as a new school year approaches (I know it’s only June, but still), much of the road work is finishing up.

The major road that will open up at the end of this week will be the new George Mason Boulevard that runs between campus and downtown Fairfax. For about the last 15 years, the City of Fairfax had been planning to permanently close a portion of University Drive adaject to the new road. Friday, June 19 will be the day they open’er up.

Another notable road that will soon open (date TBD) will be the old portion of Patriot Circle between the new Rappahannock River Parking Deck and the new student housing. The road was closed off during the construction of the two structures, but will soon reopen, essentially reconnecting Patriot CIRCLE. However, I’m told that given the amount of speed humps, stop signs and pedestirans, drivers will be more inclined to continue driving around the north side of the parking deck (the old Spur Road now named University Drive).

And this just in – the “connector road” between Rte 123 and the Patriot Circle roundabout (built in conjunction with the Mason Inn) will be open to ALL traffic come this fall; not just construction vehicles, as was previously discussed.

All of these roads will surely come in handy when 20,000 students once again decend onto campus.

It’s difficult to see the positives in road closures and restrictions, but I’ll do my best.

Beginning Monday, May 17, the City of Fairfax will permanently close a portion of University Drive to through traffic between the Rappahannock River Parking Deck and Fairfax City Hall.  This was all part of the city’s plans to take traffic away from the predominently residential University Drive. The new George Mason Boulevard is set to be completed in mid June to replace the University Drive route.

Interestingly, the City of Fairfax made these plans nearly 15 years ago, when there were no housing developments along George Mason Boulevard. Things have since changed, causing concern for residents about safety and noise. City officials say it will take 6 to 12 months to accurately gauge what improvements, if any, will be made along the road.

What we do know is that it will provide a more strategic and aesthetic approach to the north side of campus. When Rappahannock River Parking Deck opens this fall, thousands of cars will be entering and exiting the area, which required Mason to develop some rather tactical traffic patterns. On paper, everything looks like it should run smoothly. But only time will tell.

Other road alerts include new restrictions along Aquia Creek Lane (formerly known as George Mason Boulevard that runs from Thompson Hall down to the Johnson Center circle). Three large construction projects will be under way by June, including work to the Performing Arts Building, making the circle inaccessible. Beyond construction vehicles, the only traffic allowed on Aquia Creek Lane after June 1 will be Mason Pond Parking Deck permit holders (permit holders to this deck are only allowed access through this third-level entrance).

And we must not forget about an impending closure of Patriot Circle near the intersection of Rivanna River Lane for some underground utility work. This was orginally scheduled to happen Memorial Weekend when minimal traffic is on campus.  But that date was recently pushed back to a less convenient, yet-to-be-determined date.

That’s all for now. But I might be back with more.

For years, the old PE Building went practically unnoticed — a dated building sitting all alone on a hill outside Patriot Circle. But after significant gutting and remodeling, as well as a significant addition that more than doubles the building’s previous size, the new “RAC” (Recreation and Athletic Complex) has turned into the place to be.

With the addition, the RAC features a third gymnasium, two new racquetball courts, two squash courts and a two-story fitness area including more than 100 new cardio machines and 50 weight lifting machines . Plus, all of the locker rooms, bathrooms and showers are completely remodeled.

The new gym will be the competition venue for wrestling and volleyball. Retractable bleacher seats seating approximately 1,500 are currently being installed. As for the other two gyms, the floor of the Linn Gym was refinished, and the Cage Gym was renovated with a special floor for wrestling and indoor hockey.

Mason’s intercollegiate volleyball, tennis and wrestling programs, in addition to the intramural and club sports, will all be housed under the new roof. And there is also office space for the ROTC and the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism.

Mickey McDade, Mason’s senior associate athletic director, says the RAC will have a soft opening on August 1 to “work out any kinks” before the fall semester begins.  Plans for a grand opening in early September are currently under way.

It is not yet determined whether or not the RAC will be open to anyone and everyone (non-students would pay a memebership fee) or just students.

For most people who live, drive and/or commute through the region surrounding Mason’s Fairfax Campus, their only impression of George Mason University may be the Fieldhouse, the Patriot Center, or Blinky (the large electronic sign at Braddock Road and Nottoway River Lane). The outer perimeter is all they know.

They haven’t seen all of the changes going on within the confines of Patriot Circle. But soon enough, changes will start impacting the outer fringes as well.

Within the next few weeks, nearly every entrance to the Fairfax Campus will begin seeing alterations. One of the most anticipated changes will take place on Route 123. A connector road will run between Route 123 and the Patriot Circle roundabout, but will primarily serve as the main access to the future Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel (or “MICH,” as I like to call it). However, this road will initially be used only for construction vehicles and will not be open to through traffic for many, many months.

In the more immediate future, George Mason Blvd will reach completion by the end of May. This road will seriously alter the northern approach to campus by diverting traffic that would normally use the portion of University Drive between campus and downtown. Following this project, a number of aesthetic enhancements will eventually happen at the corner of George Mason Blvd and University Drive, creating a grander, more picturesque entrance to campus.

Also, the pedestrian entrance to campus on the corner of Braddock Road and Roberts will see a lot of sprucing up, as it is one of the most visible portions of campus to passing traffic. The area will feature wider sidewalks, refined landscaping and enhanced Mason signage.

Further up on Roberts Road (considered to be a more dangerous thoroughfare of campus traffic because of its narrow lanes and low visibility) at the intersection of Shenandoah River Lane (usually backed up with traffic at peak travel times and game nights), attention will be given to ease rush hour congestion. By adding turn lanes and “momentum lanes,” the intersection should flow much easier.

Though the new building on the Arlington Campus, Founders Hall, is still more than 18 months away from completion, students can look forward to getting a tasty breakfast all day long — the building will feature an Einstein Bros Bagel shop. The restaurant space had been part of the design plans for years, but the actual brand of restaurant had been debated up until just a few weeks ago.

Since the space was never designed to include a hood system — a costly and complex component necessary for restaurant kitchen ventilation — the list of possible occupants was limited. But making bagels requires no hood, so Einstein reps decided Founders Hall was a perfect fit.

Not many other food services will be available on the campus, as the area already boasts myriad dining options. Mason dining officials knew that for the restaurant to be a success, it needed to carry a big name brand. Einsteins fit the bill.

A 50,000 square foot building will be built on the Fairfax Campus – where the greenhouse used to be – for use as swing space. Half of the building will be used as temporary relocation space for occupants of other buildings scheduled for renovation. The other half will be constructed as the permanent location for the University Data Center. The project schedule is closely connected to renovation schedules of West Hall (completed in fall ‘07) and Thompson Hall (scheduled for Jan. ‘10 through May ‘11).

The abundance of new buildings soon to open on the Fairfax Campus has put the University Naming Committee into overdrive. Students of engineering, the arts, and even physical education will have new homes as early as late spring.

Some of the new names developed by the naming committee are still pending BOV approval, but many are as good as done.

Project name: Academic VI / Research II
New name: The Engineering Building

Project name: Arlington II (Arlington Campus)
New name: Founders Hall
-The public plaza will be called “Virginia Square Plaza”

Project name: Hotel and Conference Center
New name: The Mason Inn Conference Center and Hotel

Project name: Parking Deck III
New name: Rappahannock River Parking Deck

Old name: The Physical Education Building
New name: The RAC (Recreation and Athletic Complex)
-Robinson Field will be called “RAC Field”

Apparently it’s a big deal to a lot of people when trees die in the wake of construction. So I guess it should be equally as important when a tree lives through the construction process.

Mason’s Facilities Management team came to the rescue once again. After recently saving the lives of 17 trees located in a construction zone outside of the Performing Arts Building, Facilities saved yet another tree — a 12-foot-tall rubber tree.

In preparation for the construction of the swing space building on the Fairfax Campus, Mason’s greenhouse had to be demolished. All plants, including the rubber tree, needed to be removed.

But transplanting a tree of that size was difficult. And workers had trouble finding a suitable location that had enough space and proper lighting for the tree to survive. Finally, all parties agreed on the foyer of Research 1.

To get the tree out of the greenhouse and into Research 1, workers had to give it a significant trim job. After the once-mighty tree was trimmed down to an unassuming stump, the delivery was completed.

But this isn’t the first time this tree was pruned so extensively. Not long ago, it got the same treatment and still survived. So everyone is optimistic that “stumpy” will pull through just fine.

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.

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. Read the rest of this entry »