When the 2019 school year begins, Stamp Student Union’s north entrance will become more accessible to disabled students by renovating its surrounding area with new seating and electrical outlets, according to a Facilities Management official.
The $1.6 million renovation — at the bottom of the hill by Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium — was previously scheduled to start in May, but plans were put on hold, said Bill Olen, Facilities Management’s capital projects director.
The Architectural and Landscape Review Board, one of the University of Maryland’s construction approval authorities, requested better integration of the existing ADA-compliant entrance, which is to the left of the main entrance, into the new design, Olen said.
“Inside the existing entry, there isn’t a way for disabled folks. They have to go to a different spot, and it’s sort of convoluted,” he said. “We’re trying to make it so everyone can go in the same entry.”
Construction is scheduled to begin over summer break and continue through the end of September. Olen said that the entrance will temporarily close after the end of this academic year, but should reopen by the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year, emphasizing that Facilities Management is primarily working over the summer to avoid major disruptions to students.
“There’s a little bit of curb work, and maybe a new handicap ramp from the roadway and crosswalk relocation, but we’ll do all that over the summer,” he said. “There are bike racks there; we’re going to relocate those [to the right] so they’re not in the path of travel.”
Freshman computer science major J.T. Wojciechowski appreciated that the construction would take place when he was not in school and would not obstruct his walk toward South Campus.
“When I walk there from [North Campus], that’s where I go, so if it was blocked, I’d have to walk up the big hill,” he said.
The concrete exterior to the entrance will be converted into a small plaza with a greenscape. This will add outdoor seating around Stamp with electrical outlets to create new workspaces for students.
“We also wanted to increase the amount of outside seating because we were going to lose a little bit in front to the Purple Line,” said Marsha Guenzler-Stevens, Stamp director. “We anticipate with the new residence halls being built over on what is now the Varsity Practice Field, that entrance will become even [busier].”
The surrounding infrastructure will also get an upgrade, including the doorway and overhang, which Olen and Guenzler-Stevens said has not been updated in more than 20 years and is starting to fail. The building’s overhang is beginning to crumble and the surrounding walkways are pitted due to road salt use over the years, they said.
Freshman government and politics major Adam Howlett expressed optimism for the changes. He was particularly encouraged by the planned integration of the ADA entrance into the existing space.
“It allows Stamp … to be more accessible for all members of the UMD community,” he said. “I think that’s a really valuable improvement, not just for our community in general, but in particular members of our community who have disabilities.”
