Work on Valpo's new Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center project is scheduled to begin in early March on the south side of Gellersen Center. Members of the campus community will be impacted by this project and are encouraged to be prepared.

As soon as permits are obtained and the weather cooperates, the campus community will see a temporary fence erected in the area around the southeast end of Gellersen Center. A good portion of the sidewalk around that side of the building will be fenced off and closed to foot traffic until external construction work is completed.

Temporary construction trailers will be set up in Parking Lot #2 during the beginning of March. Contractors will park in that area, and a temporary fence will be erected around the construction parking area during the first half of March. The fenced-in parking area will increase and decrease in size during the course of the project, depending on the number of workers onsite. If necessary, additional parking for construction workers will be made available across Sturdy Road.

Foundations and footings for the Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center are scheduled to be dug at the end of March. The goal of the project is to have external construction completed before next winter, and then construction will continue inside the structure through the summer of 2011 so that the building will be available for use at the start of the fall 2011 semester.

Throughout this coming summer, the campus community will see heavy truck traffic around the southeast side of campus and an increase in noise and dust. Flaggers will be onsite to help control traffic and increase safety. Gravel staging areas will be created in addition to an access drive that will reach the back side of Gellersen. Gellersen's delivery access also will change over summer.

Stay tuned here for further updates.