2008 Woodie Awards
Saving trees and dollars makes sense for LCCC
Paulanne Oakes
Issue date: 10/10/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Parking spaces on the north end of the Lorain County Community College campus
aren't the only things that are being displaced by the first stages of construction on the
College's new Community Learning Technology Center.
So far, 10 trees have been moved from the northwestern edge of the College Center to
new homes near the Physical Education and Child Care Center buildings. Candidates for transplantation are chosen based on an evaluation of the tree's health, its root system and whether its location interferes with a building's infrastructure, such as the sewer, power and communication lines.
The process of relocation of the trees was made through the use of a machine called a tree spade. The machine places a large scoop around the base of the tree to be moved. Large hydraulic lines plunged into the ground in a steady, controlled motion and with a tug, removed the tree and the ground surrounding it. The trees were moved across campus and replanted.
Laura Carissimi, director of purchasing and facility planning, said that moving the
trees was the "Right things to do all the way around." She added, "The cost in relocating
the trees versus cutting them down was really not a barrier in the project. The cost to
move them was close to what it would be to cut them."
Moving the trees is just one of the projects underway on the LCCC campus to make way for future construction of the new library. The north parking area that is now closed is being redeveloped and moved into the soccer field area of the campus in anticipation of the construction.
The soccer fields themselves will be relocated slightly to the north of their current location and will undergo re-seeding and grooming in the process, according to Carissimi.
David Cummins, LCCC's vice president of administrative services and treasurer, said that the new parking spaces begin developed for that area will serve a two-fold purpose.
"We knew that sooner or later we would have to develop more parking in that area, anyway," said Cummins. "This allowed us to address that long-term need."
The 379 new spaces will fill the need of parking availability while the new library is constructed, allowing the original parking area to be used as a staging area
for construction trailers and equipment. Once construction is complete, the staging area will revert to a parking area.
The new 86,000-sq.-foot library has a tentative completion date of August 2008 and will house many of the resource departments now housed in the College Center.
These include financial aid offices, Connection Center, Women's Link and other offices.
The existing library will be used for "swing space," according to Carissimi, and will include classrooms, offices, etc. in an as-needed capacity.
aren't the only things that are being displaced by the first stages of construction on the
College's new Community Learning Technology Center.
So far, 10 trees have been moved from the northwestern edge of the College Center to
new homes near the Physical Education and Child Care Center buildings. Candidates for transplantation are chosen based on an evaluation of the tree's health, its root system and whether its location interferes with a building's infrastructure, such as the sewer, power and communication lines.
The process of relocation of the trees was made through the use of a machine called a tree spade. The machine places a large scoop around the base of the tree to be moved. Large hydraulic lines plunged into the ground in a steady, controlled motion and with a tug, removed the tree and the ground surrounding it. The trees were moved across campus and replanted.
Laura Carissimi, director of purchasing and facility planning, said that moving the
trees was the "Right things to do all the way around." She added, "The cost in relocating
the trees versus cutting them down was really not a barrier in the project. The cost to
move them was close to what it would be to cut them."
Moving the trees is just one of the projects underway on the LCCC campus to make way for future construction of the new library. The north parking area that is now closed is being redeveloped and moved into the soccer field area of the campus in anticipation of the construction.
The soccer fields themselves will be relocated slightly to the north of their current location and will undergo re-seeding and grooming in the process, according to Carissimi.
David Cummins, LCCC's vice president of administrative services and treasurer, said that the new parking spaces begin developed for that area will serve a two-fold purpose.
"We knew that sooner or later we would have to develop more parking in that area, anyway," said Cummins. "This allowed us to address that long-term need."
The 379 new spaces will fill the need of parking availability while the new library is constructed, allowing the original parking area to be used as a staging area
for construction trailers and equipment. Once construction is complete, the staging area will revert to a parking area.
The new 86,000-sq.-foot library has a tentative completion date of August 2008 and will house many of the resource departments now housed in the College Center.
These include financial aid offices, Connection Center, Women's Link and other offices.
The existing library will be used for "swing space," according to Carissimi, and will include classrooms, offices, etc. in an as-needed capacity.
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