Construction on campus fence gets underway

After months of planning and discussion, Monday officially marked the beginning of the building of the perimeter fences around the University of Southern Mississippi campus.

The Campus Fence and Landscape Project has been in the works for some time now, and Physical Plant Director Chris Crenshaw said he is excited for this project to get off the ground.

According to Crenshaw, these projects are defining projects for the Hattiesburg campus. 

“These projects will really shape the Southern Miss Hattiesburg campus, and we are looking forward to seeing their completion.”

The Hardy Street fence will start at the Jazz Lab and work its way up to the digital sign at the corner of U.S. 49 and Hardy Street near the Ogletree House. This portion of the fence is expected to be around seven feet tall and constructed of wrought iron and brick columns that match the Centennial Gateway entrance.

On 4th Street, which has a possibility of being hindered by construction, bricks matching those of the Century Park residence halls will be used, and columns will replace the temporary fence that is currently in place.

Students have mixed emotions about the fence project, saying it may box campus in even more.

“Campus is already small, and I’m not sure how a fence surrounding all of campus will make it feel. It might make campus feel too caged in,” said Natalie Mangum, a sophomore speech pathology major from Ocean Springs.

Monday also marked the date of the beginning of the bricking project between the Liberal Arts Building and Joseph Greene Hall.

“The construction in front of LAB and Joseph Greene has never affected me and my routes to class,” said Kiesha Everett, a junior business administration major from Petal. “I’m really excited to see how the bricked area will turn out. I think it will really add to the beauty of campus.”

The funding for these projects is coming from an 80-20 funding split with the Mississippi Department of Transportation. It is expected that the fence will cost around $550,000 and the bricking around $840,000.

Both projects are expected to be completed in early 2013.