Amanda Crouse
News Editor
The Voice reached out to President Anne McCall and Alexa Konstantinos, vice president of marketing and communications for the College, to inquire about the “greenway” project, which would establish a recreational, outdoor space open to students and Wooster community members. On Tuesday, April 28, Konstantinos responded to the Voice with a description of the greenway plan, adding that McCall plans to share similar information in a campus-wide email on Friday, May 1.
Initial work on the greenway plan will begin on May 18 with “the removal of 16 small houses on Stibbs, Spink, and University streets,” Konstantinos said. She estimated that the removal process would be completed by mid-August, before the start of the fall semester. The greenway is expected to extend southeast of the John P. Papp Stadium and the Lowry Student Center, occupying the land on which the 16 houses slated for removal currently sit.
While the project is still in its early stages of creative development, Konstantinos shared that the College plans to source ideas from students, faculty and local residents when deciding on recreational features to incorporate into the greenway’s design. Creative ideas shared thus far include “interactive art, water features, pollinator gardens, research areas, recreational spaces, and other designs for activity, beauty, and vibrancy,” Konstantinos said.
The College has offered to donate fixtures and furniture from the demolished houses to Habitat for Humanity. The houses’ interiors and exteriors were documented for historical purposes.
Konstantinos added that the greenway plan will restore funds to the College’s budget by eliminating costs associated with maintaining the 16 houses in the southeast corner of campus. “The College will save more than $6M in deferred maintenance costs … and approximately $75K in upkeep and annual operating costs after the completion of the project,” Konstantinos said.
