by EMILY MELTON
News Reporter
 
Campus construction can be found on Rivers Street, behind the University Post Office, near the College Street Parking Deck, and behind every “Caution” tape barrier and temporary fence.

Why? Because Appalachian State University is expanding.

With the development of Appalachian’s Campus Master Plan, students will see even more changes by the year 2020.

Several issues the planning committee focused on during the master plan meetings Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 include more access to student parking, on-campus housing, the expansion of campus buildings and improvements to the AppalCART system.

However, few students were in attendance.

“I think a lot of students didn’t know about the meetings,” Karly E. Grindstaff, sophomore interior design major said.

She said some students might not have known they were able to attend.

“I didn’t see any advertising for the meetings in the [Plemmons Student Union] or [Katherine Harper Scott Hall], and a lot of the students that have classes there probably would have been interested,” Grindstaff said.

Grindstaff found out about the meetings in her classes.

She went to a pin-up, a showing of preliminary designs, for the plan Thursday.

“We were able to walk around and look at all the ideas,” Grindstaff said.

She said one idea was turning the space currently hosting Subway, Klondike Café, and Parthenon into an upscale apartment complex.

Another was the shrinking of Rivers Street to allow more pedestrian transportation.

“The [Student Government Association] tried to go to a lot of the meetings in representation of the student voice,” Zach Grier, SGA Director of Civic Engagement and sophomore political science major said.

Grier will soon talk to administrators and town officials to discover SGA’s role in the plan.

“I hope students don’t have a lack of interest,” Grier said. “It affects them in every way.”

Boone’s Smart Growth Plan, which will be completed in 2030, will also be implemented  soon.

Topics discussed include an assessment of Kraut Creek, environmental sustainability and town aesthetics.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to work with both the town and the university as they grow and develop,” Rob Richardson, Lawrence Group representative and principal planner, said.

He said the specific plans for the university and town are in the works.

The last preliminary meeting, held Wednesday, summarized the ideas presented during the workshops. 

A final report will be presented March 2009.

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