As Georgetown prepares to finalize the 2010 Campus Plan, projects are already in the works that will change campus life by the start of the fall semester.
The campus plan covers a range of issues including construction projects, transportation, housing and safety. Plans to work with officers from the Metropolitan Police Department as an innovative method to improve campus safety are already underway.
“One thing that everyone will notice [by the fall 2010 semester] is the addition of three Metropolitan Police Department reimbursable detail officers in the areas around campus,” said Andy Pino, director of media relations, in an e-mail. “They are focusing their patrols in the areas where the university is hoping to enhance safety and security.”
The MPD officers are expected to patrol the streets of West Georgetown and Burleith on key evenings, particularly Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
This measure is one step toward the general efforts of increased collaboration between the Department of Public Safety and MPD. According to Pino, the university plans on funding the additional officers by reimbursing MPD for their services, an agreement described in the 2010 Campus Plan.
“The university-funded MPD officers will carry Georgetown-issued radios and will coordinate with DPS,” Pino said. “This is mentioned in the campus plan, and its implementation is already underway.”
The university also expects to submit the campus plan to the D.C. Zoning Commission over the summer. According to Pino, there will be a series of hearings followed by a legally binding decision from the commission, which needs to approve construction and development concepts outlined in the plan.
Construction has begun on the new science facility in between the Rafik B. Hariri Building and the Intercultural Center, and it is expected to continue throughout the summer and next academic year.
In a press release, the university reported that construction for the new science center officially began May 5 with a ceremony held by University President John J. DeGioia.
“It will be a place where faculty and students will make new scientific discoveries, engage in world-class research and learn,” DeGioia said, according to the article.
The building is scheduled for completion in 2012 and will house the biology, chemistry and physics departments. Construction of the building was put on hiatus amid the recession, but was resumed in January when the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the university $6.9 million for the construction of the new facility.
As with the Hariri Building, the science center is also designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification, according to the release.
Vice President for Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank and Project Manager and University Architect Susan Armstrong were unavailable for comment.”
