At least $2.3 million worth in landscaping and lighting projects are being funded by a $4.5 million pot of campus improvement fees generated over the past half decade.

Sugar Construction is working on the landscaping project between Anspach and Pearce halls. A $700,000 campus-wide lighting project is nearing completion.

The project, approved by the Board of Trustees last September, began in early May.

Stephen Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the landscaping and lighting projects were recommendations of a student liaison group on how to spend a $4.5 million balance from the campus improvement fee.

“The campus landscaping project between Anspach and Pearce — as recommended by the liaison group of students — is intended to produce south academic core site improvements,” said Linda Slater, director of Plant Engineering and Planning.

Lawrence said new lights address safety concerns on campus and are a necessity for the project — which is going smoothly and should only take another year to complete.

“The campus construction is on time and going as planned,” Lawrence said. “The landscaping and lighting projects will be finished by this fall and the East Complex area will be finished in the fall of 2006.”

The project will include benches, improved sidewalks to make snowplowing easier, two new study areas and several new kinds of plant life - including the Kentucky Coffee, Honeylocust and Autumn Flame Red Maple trees.

A four foot tall fence also was built to surround the new field hockey venue to avoid stray balls and keep people off the field — the appropriate measures taken to make it a quality Division I facility, said Clint Huhn, director of athletic facilities.

It cost $18,000 to construct, which is in addition to the $650,000 spent on the original construction of the field last year. An additional $1,500 was spent on moving sprinkler heads in the path of the fence.

Other construction this summer included a project providing chill water to Sloan Hall by boring an underground heating, ventilation and air conditioning line (HVAC) beneath Franklin Street, Slater said. More excavating was completed just north of Warriner Hall.

The construction and landscaping are necessary and will help make things more convenient, she said.

“There’s a lot of construction, yes, but there’s a lot more to it than just improving campus,” Slater said. “We’re also helping to provide more convenient learning facilities, improve academic integration and enhance campus travel flow.”

As a result of an increase in freshmen students and demand to live on campus, CMU is building two new residence halls to house 456 more students in the upcoming years.

The East Complex Residence Halls is the largest of three construction projects taking place this summer.

“We’re trying to catch up with the demand for on-campus housing,” said John Fisher, associate vice president for Residences and Auxiliary Services.

After construction is complete in August 2006, the East Complex area will include a new convenience store, new fitness center and more parking.