Tuesday, April 10, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
Fountain's spring debut may arouse pranksters
By Amanda Beglin writer @kanson.com
Kansas staff writer
The buses still rumble by and car doors slam as students jump out for class, but a noise almost forgotten will resume very soon.
— the sounds of water splashing in the Chi Omega fountain.
George Cone, assistant director of Facilities Operations central heating, said the fountain would be turned on by Wednesday, April 18 or Thursday, April 19, when temperatures likely wouldn't drop low enough at night to freeze the water.
This news is met with dread and delight, as the KU Public Safety Office and Facilities Operations prepare to square off against students in the battle of the bubbles.
"I've been here for three years now, and I know that once we turn on the fountain, it's going to get soaked," Cone said.
He said the fountain held nearly 5,000 gallons of water — all of which is drained whenever a prankster dumps soap into the fountain tub. Plumbers pour a defoaming agent into the tub to bust the bubbles, clear the sudsy residue from the pump and filter, add bleach to keep algae from forming and then refill the tub.
The entire tedious process, Cone said, can take up to half a day. He also said it would have to be done three or four times a week.
"I wouldn't mind it every once in a while, but we only have seven plumbers for the entire campus," Cone said. "Even the first night, it's soaped. It's usually the Chi Omega fountain and the Chancellor's fountain that get it. Sometimes we dread turning them on. Fountains are a joy."
Emily Cooper, Overland Park sophomore, agreed — without a hint of sarcasm. Cooper, of Sigma Kappa sorority, remembered a recent fountain splashst歼 involving two Lambda Chi seniors.
"When my brother, Brian Cooper, and Ben Walker turned 21, they were thrown in the fountain," Cooper said. "I don't think they were naked, though."
But Sgt. Troy Mailen of the KU Public Safety Office advised students to keep their rowdy antics in the fountain tub.
"Our concern is the upper portion and people climbing on it." Mailen said. "We'd just ask that people leave the fountain head alone. The halos get stolen and it detracts from the beauty of the fountain."
Cone said several halos — the attachments on the top tier of the fountain that spray the water in various directions — were stolen every season, and each replacement took a plumber two or three hours to make.
And if students get caught stealing a halo or sudging the fountain, Cone said, they might pay for their misbehavior.
"There's a lot of water and plumbers have an hourly wage, so if they get caught, well, they're going to pay for it." Cone said.
Mailen said halo stealing aside, the fountain was safe from police intervention.
"We're not going to run people out of the bottom bowl," Malen said. "It's a good place to cool off." Edited by Gillian Titus
Architect's rendering of what the west side of the Kansas Union will look like after phase three of the renovations are complete. The third phase will cost S6.2 million and Design and Construction Management plans to begin construction in June.
Kansas Union ready for renovations
By Rachel Moluf
Special to the Kansan
Students who leave for the summer can expect to see a new side — or at least part of one — of the Kansas Union when they return.
Phase three of the Kansas Union renovations is expected to begin in June, said Steve Scannell, assistant director of Design and Construction Management.
Phase one, which took place in the early 1980s, focused on creating the food court on the third floor. Phase two, which went from April 1992 to April 1993, focused on renovating the bookstore on the second floor and revamping the fourth floor.
Scannell said that phase three would create a main entrance from the west, facing Spencer Museum. There would also be renovations to the bookstore on the second floor, a covered walkway from the parking garage to the Union, an expansion of the Organizations and Leadership offices on the fourth floor, renovations to Jaybowl and renovations to the food court.
"The new main staircase will have panoramic views to campus, so it's easy to identify and to see where you're at," Scannell said. "It will be right on an axis with the main entrance on the west side."
The most visible addition will be a six-story stairwell.
services for the Kansas and Burge Unions, said the west side of the Union had always been seen as a back door.
Pat Beard, director of building
"While phases one and two enhanced the east and south sides, this renovation will make a nice second entrance, with an enhanced landscape," he said.
Beard said he didn't expect the construction to cause much disruption.
"The stairwell construction will be outside, and we hope the new stairwell will be in use before we close the old one," he said. "And except for level one, the elevators will be running. The bookstore will have some disruption too, but we can partition that off."
Student fees will pay for the majority of the $6.2 million cost of the third phase of renovation.
Marlon Marshall, student body vice president and St. Louis senior, said each semester students paid a $28 Union building fee and a $18 renovation fee to pay for projects such as this one.
"I think what's going on will attract more students to the Union," Marshall said. "The Union is supposed to be the student living room and the renovations will make it look better. I'm very happy
Marshall said the Kansas Union Memorial Corp. Board, composed of students and Union administrators, made the decisions concerning Union construction.
RENOVATIONS
■ Renovations to the food court, bookstore and Jaybowl
Expansion of the Organizations and Leadership offices
Addition of a new entrance from the west, covered walkway from the parking garage and a six-story stairwell.
All phase three renovations are expected to be completed sometime next spring, Scannell said. Following this project, two more phases of Union work will be pursued.
Sorority house awarded for historic preservation
Edited by Megan Phelps
with what they're doing."
Project used pictures from original architect
By Cynthia Malakasis
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
A project that preserved the Chi Omega sorority house's historic architectural character while upgrading living standards earned the house a 2001 Award for Excellency from the Kansas Preservation Alliance.
The award ceremony took place Thursday evening at the Wichita-
Sedgwick County Historical Museum during the annual Kansas Historic Preservation Conference. Theis Doolittle Associates of Kansas City was the architecture firm in charge of the project.
Stacey Dillon, Lawrence resident and president of the Corporation Board for the Chi Omega KU chapter, said the project started three years ago and its initial goal was to add fire sprinklers to the house so it could live up to fire safety standards and generally upgrade living conditions for the residents.
But, as the project unfolded, the architects in charge and Chi
Omega representatives started researching the initial form of the house and the plans of the architect who built it, using old photographs of the interior as a guide.
The house is listed in the State Register of Historic Places, and Dillon said the main reasons for that were the enhanced plaster ceilings in the first floor reception and living room areas.
She said great care was taken to stabilize and repair those ceilings without altering their character.
"Everyone involved in the project felt it was very important to
maintain historic characteristics and update living standards at the same time." Dillon said.
The house was constructed in 1925. Walter E. Glover, the architect who designed it, aimed at creating a sorority house outside of traditional dormitory standards.
Brenda Spencer, Topeka resident and board member of the Kansas Preservation Alliance, said the organization honored efforts of restoring old houses while maintaining their historical character every year.
She said the Chi Omega House
was a very good example of meeting those standards.
"It was an outstanding example of rehabilitation process," Spencer said. "It was a great commitment by the architect and the owner to retain the historic character and adjust the house to the needs of residents."
Spencer said Hoch Auditoria was also given an award by the Kansas Preservation Alliance in 1999, in recognition of the rebuilding effort.
The Chi Omega house is the only KU sorority on the state's list of historic places.
Edited bv Jason McKee
Future scholarship halls may invade Oread neighborhood
Bv Erin Adamson
Kansan staff writer
At the request of Chancellor Robert Hemenway, the properties were purchased as the future site of two new scholarship halls. The land will become property of the state, but some Oread residents wish the city had jurisdiction over the University for purchases
The Kansas University Endowment Association recently purchased four houses and two apartment buildings in the 1300 block of Ohio Street, causing the Oread Neighborhood Association to worry about future KU expansion into the neighborhood.
of historic properties for demolition.
Janet Gerstner, president of the Oread Neighborhood Association, said the neighborhood wanted to accommodate students. But she was concerned the University's purchase of neighborhood property would financially reward landlords for neglecting historic properties.
Darrel Bean, Endowment Association representative, would not comment on the price of the properties purchased.
Warren Corman, University architect and assistant to the chancellor, said Hemenway had identified a need for at least two
new scholarship halls, but only one hall was in the planning stage.
Corman said the halls would probably be designed like the Amini scholarship halls. He said construction would begin in the next few years.
"We have a huge waiting list for students to live in scholarship balls." Corman said.
Gerstner said the Oread neighborhood valued students but wanted to maintain the historic, family aspect of the neighborhood as well. She said a 1999 study of the neighborhood showed only 10 percent of houses were owner-occupied — a number that worried some neighborhood preser vationists.
"We have a huge waiting list for students to live in scholarship halls."
Warren Corman
University architect
"What we've always struggled with in our neighborhood is the houses are sold at a price assuming a number of people are renting." Gerstner said. "That's one of the things that hurt the neighborhood over the last 20 years."
A University historic review committee is conducting a study to determine whether there is any historical significance to the structures to be demolished, Corman said.
Gerstner said an Oread neighborhood meeting with Corman today would be a step toward a community dialogue.
Dennis Enslinger, city planning office representative, said there were no city guidelines to preclude the University from purchasing properties in the neighborhood because they weren't officially listed as historic properties.
Edited by Leita Schultes
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