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Sod work remains largely unfinished at the Northern View complex. | Lenny Gilmore
The view's not the best at Northern View
Some residents who planned on living in the Northern View Community will have to bear with their special accommodations for a few more weeks.
Construction is still ongoing at the new student residential facility, located northwest of the Convocation Center.
The entire Northern View Community was slated to open Aug. 22, but the residential facility and the community center have yet to be completed.
Kelly Wesener, executive director of Housing and Dining, said the recent harsh weather is the primary reason the center remains incomplete.
Some current residents of the housing complex believe the delays are not solely because of weather.
“They blame everything on the weather, I think it is incompetence,” said Melisa Kinyungu, a first-year law student. “I live here, and I see that the construction crew barely works.”
Kinyungu, who pays $1,200 a month for her two-bedroom apartment, said she regrets moving into Northern View.
“Northern View doesn’t care [about the residents],” she said. “I hate living here.”
Other residents said some of the amenities in their apartments do not work, including stoves, washers and dryers, and air conditioning.
“Some of my neighbor’s appliances are missing,” said Mohit Khare, a first-year law student.
Four of the buildings are complete. The fifth residential facility is a 24-unit building slated to include both student apartments and staff offices.
The community center, also incomplete, is expected to include a computer lab, study rooms and children’s play areas, both inside and out.
“The community center is one of the reasons I moved here and it’s not done,” Kinyungu said. “I have to study in the law school’s library.”
The unfinished paving and sod work being done around the facilities is also upsetting some residents.
“I just washed my car, but it gets so dusty since the roads are not done,” Khare said.
Junior mathematics major Emanuel McCarter shares Khare’s sentiments.
“The parking lot is horrible,” McCarter said.
Wesener predicts a completion date of early to mid-September for both facilities, but stated that nothing is guaranteed at this time.
“We’re working as fast as we are able to,” said an SM Wilson construction worker who wished not to be identified. “The weather has slowed us down lately, but not stopped us completely.”
NIU provided accommodations to students and their families who were unable to move in. Rooms were offered to students in the Grant North towers to house the displaced individuals. Complimentary meal cards were also given to those relocated to Grant.
Although Northern View has made such accommodations, some students remain disappointed.
“I plan to move out when my lease is up,” Khare said.
» Next Campus Article: Parking options colorful around campus
“With rising construction costs and dwindling state funding for higher education, partnerships like this are becoming increasingly common across the nation,” Peters said. “We are very proud to be working with one of the leading names in this industry, and we have every confidence that Collegiate Development Services will help us to create an outstanding facility that will make our graduate and professional programs even more attractive to potential students.”
The project has an ambitious construction schedule, with units expected to be ready for occupancy by the Fall 2007 semester. However, Lynn Krebs, vice president for business development at CDS, said he is confident that schedule can be met.
“As someone who has worked with universities across the country, I can say with tremendous confidence that you have one of the most dedicated and determined staffs in all of higher education,” Krebs said. “We look forward to working with you to make this dream a reality.”
http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2006/oct16/northernview.shtml
The project has an ambitious construction schedule, with units expected to be ready for occupancy by the Fall 2007 semester. However, Lynn Krebs, vice president for business development at CDS, said he is confident that schedule can be met.
“As someone who has worked with universities across the country, I can say with tremendous confidence that you have one of the most dedicated and determined staffs in all of higher education,” Krebs said. “We look forward to working with you to make this dream a reality.”
http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2006/oct16/northernview.shtml