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Construction ongoing for utility demand of ASC

Melanie Henterly, For The Miami Student

Electrical upgrading is the latest change on Miami University's central campus to meet part of the utility demand for the future Armstrong Student Center.

"We are improving electrical capacity to the central campus area," said Vice President of Finance and Business Services David Creamer. "Most of the project has already been completed."

The project, known as the "Central Campus Electrical Modification," consists of installing new equipment and in some cases modifying existing systems, according to electrical project manager, Dan Patterson. The system is being changed from a 4,000-volt system to a 12,500-volt system.

The total construction for the central campus electrical modification will be completed by the end of August, according to Patterson.

The Central Campus electrical modification is being paid for through the funding of the future Armstrong Student Center, according to Creamer.

"It will cost $3.1 million for the central utility part of it," Creamer said.

The Armstrong Student Center is being paid partly through gifts and partly through student fees, according to Creamer. This addition to student fees does not go into effect until the completion of the student center in 2014.

The Central Campus electrical modification project is only one of the construction projects happening around campus in preparation for the Armstrong Student Center.

"There are other utilities being done at the same time," Creamer said.

The small road running between King Café and McGuffey Hall, called McGuffey Drive, was involved in construction the weekend of April 9 and had some students curious about traffic changes. Signs indicated the street would be for two-way traffic, but this was only the case for the short period it was being used for construction.

"The street was two-way just so people could get into and out of parking lots," Patterson said. It will not be changing to a two-way street in the future. "That would be a nightmare."

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