Construction on Ball Circle expected to repair and upgrade water lines

by AMBER ZIPFEL

Staff Writer

Since Nov. 2021, construction has been underway to replace a water line located underneath Ball Circle. 

“The construction on Ball Circle is to replace a water line between Ball Hall and Virginia Hall,” said Paul Messplay, vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer. “This effort is part of a larger state funded infrastructure project to repair and replace water and steam lines around campus.” 

Capital outlay project manager Jay Sullivan said that the construction is “expected to be completed at the end of February to mid-March.” The project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain shortages in the U.S., which have impacted the construction industry.

“This construction project as a whole has been affected by material production delays and labor force shortages which has caused delays to the project schedule,” said Sullivan.

Maddie Ryan, a junior religious studies major, lives in one of the dorms that surrounds Ball Circle, where she finds the construction very unsightly and notices the absence of people. 

“The construction prevents me from crossing Ball Circle and meeting friends there, but it doesn’t interfere too much with my daily life,” said Ryan. 

Messplay confirmed that once the work is complete in Feb. 2022, Ball Circle will be available to hold graduation ceremonies and alumni events at the end of the spring semester. After these events, there will be additional construction completed during summer 2022.

“This work will mainly consist of tying the new steam system into the buildings around Ball Hall,” said Sullivan. The construction will continue with the pipeline work on Ball Circle and in front of Westmoreland Hall. 

The domestic water line will also be upgraded, which will affect the areas around Jefferson Hall and Combs Hall, as well as the middle of campus walk from Bushnell Hall to Lee Hall, according to Sullivan.

However, students can expect that construction will be over for the fall 2022 semester.

“We will have the campus restored prior to the start of the fall semester,” said Messplay.

Some students are frustrated with the construction going on. 

“If I could speak to the UMW administration about the construction, I would express my concern with the length of time it has taken and the degree to which it redirects and stands in the way of people on campus,” said Ryan. “All the recent construction being done at UMW seems to make the lack of normalcy due to COVID even more all-consuming. The construction of the change that we, as a community, have had to undergo in the recent years.” 

Kevin Dougherty, a senior mathematics major, has a different view of the construction on Ball Circle.

“I feel that if they are doing construction on any area of campus and especially Ball Circle, which is one of the main landmarks of campus, it’s a good thing,” he said.

Dougherty believes the UMW administration is working to better the school, whether it is to make it more beautiful or to improve its function.

“You can kind of appreciate the fact that administration is using the money to improve it for us and making campus into something nicer,” he said. “I am in favor of that for the future classes and generations of UMW students even though it might mildly inconvenience or annoy someone right now, it will be beautiful for the next generation.”

The construction projects allow for the campus’ systems to function well in the long run. 

“Some of these systems have been in place for many years and the upgrade will help reduce the frequency of maintenance and repairs needed on the system,” said Sullivan.