The idea behind those signs is that the businesses want to acknowledge that change can be difficult and messy (note the US 231 expansion), but in the end, change is usually a good thing.
I noticed Burger King is offering discounted Whoppers during the phase of construction on 231 nearest its entrance. Spring Garden has essentially put a sheet of plywood out in front of its restaurant to remind people that it is open!
Maybe one of those businesses would loan me one of their “excuse our mess” signs for a month or so.
After all, Wabash College has been a bit of a mess of late. During the last two weeks, both Wabash and Grant avenues have been closed for extended periods of time. Huge augers have bored four- and six-foot deep holes at various points on and near campus. The new Sigma Chi fraternity on West Wabash is rapidly nearing completion, but can you believe how much dust is generated from that work?
The main entrance to campus and the mall road have been closed for the better part of the summer. Knowling Fieldhouse and Hollett Stadium are both having work done of them this summer. Oh, and then there are the massive construction projects on the Science Center and Goodrich Hall on the northeast and southwest corners of campus!
Excuse our mess as we remodel, build, and renovate to serve you better.
At Wabash, we really do try to be good neighbors. But there’s always tension in the community when the College grows and changes. We do try to minimize the mess—just like those hard-working people tearing up 231—but sometimes construction does make it tough to be a good neighbor.
Sometime soon, I would urge you to drive by and through campus to see the changes. They really are remarkable.
Start on the north end of campus and work your way south. We’re implementing a sign plan that will help our many visitors find their way around campus. You’ll notice the plan includes new street signs on the campus boundaries and new directories that help people locate the offices and departments within buildings.
Enter the mall from Wabash Avenue. The new brick paths that extend across Wabash Avenue represent our way of connecting Trippet Hall, which welcomes most of our first-time visitors, to the rest of campus. We also hope that it reminds motorists that a great number of people cross Wabash Avenue at that point.
The mall road has been recentered and there are now matching brick sidewalks that extend all the way from Trippet Hall to the mall loop. The sidewalks weave all the way around the mall, through the arboretum, and to distant points like Allen Center and the Fine Arts Center.
The Science Center is really close to completion. Goodrich Hall renovations are just beginning! The old Sigma Chi fraternity house is being renovated and will become Crawford Hall, a dormitory for independent men, this fall.
All of these projects represent the work of the Campaign for Leadership and the College’s Strategic Plan. Both efforts are, in essence, a way of serving our customers—our students—better. All of us at Wabash hope you agree that, while messy, the changes are worth it.
There is light at the end of the tunnel for our neighbors. Most of our projects, save some fraternity renovations, will be completed by about this time next year.
In the meantime, “Please excuse our mess as we remodel to serve you better!”