Now that the street closures through the Ripon College campus is now complete, and the new walkways are in (and look nice, but will look a lot nicer when the landscaping is done in the spring), I thought the following article from the college, issued last summer, would be pertinent:
Street Vacation - FAQ
Why are you closing the portions of Elm and Seward Streets that run through campus? - The short answer is that we've envisioned a pedestrian-friendly upper campus for many years and felt that the competitiveness of the liberal-arts college "market" demanded that we move forward. A pedestrian upper campus impacts the safety and health of our students, as well as aesthetics -- key aspects impacting a student's decision to attend Ripon College. The City of Ripon unanimously recognized the role these plans would play in the future of the College, tied as it is to the community at large, and approved vacation of the streets. The long answer is that when Ripon College was founded, the campus was self-contained. Travel between student residences, administrative buildings and classrooms did not require the crossing of any streets. In retrospect, the acquisition of Harwood House (a women’s residence hall at the corner of Thorne and Woodside) in 1916 or the completion of the Tri-Dorms in 1939 would have been great times to close these roadways, but it is unlikely anyone could have predicted how much the College would grow over the next several decades, let alone how many cars would someday be whizzing around the city. It is through this rather forgivable lack of foresight that we inherited a situation where the residence halls in which 90 percent of our students reside are separated from the classes they must attend by a single section of roadway. We contend that this is an unsafe situation. The fact that no major accidents have occurred involving pedestrians does not prove otherwise; it merely suggests that we’ve been very lucky to this point.
When will the streets be closed? - We are aiming for a summer 2008 closure, shortly after the end of the College's fiscal year on June 30. A number of factors could influence the specific date, in particular the mix of necessary capital (fund-raising + financing). Also, the time required for construction and landscaping of the area depends on the final scope of the project, which is still being determined.
What are your plans for that space? - The areas currently covered in asphalt and cement will be torn up and replaced with walkways, plazas, grass, trees and other attractive landscaping features. The essential goal is to make the area look as though the roadway was never there. For a conceptual rendering of proposed elements, click here (PDF, 108K).
How much will all this cost? - Cost has not yet been determined, as we are still working with contractors to develop a hard estimate.
What will you do about parking? - There will be plenty of ADA-compliant parking adjacent to Harwood. In addition, the renovation of Harwood (currently underway) adds one more ADA-accessible entrance to the building (at the southwest corner). The parking lot at the corner of Woodside and Seward (capacity = 43) will become an employee and visitor’s lot during business hours and a visitor’s lot after business hours – not a student lot. This location is very convenient for members of the community who attend the events at Harwood. The maintenance department is moving out of Pickard to our new facility currently under construction north of Rodman. This will move the parking and traffic associated with 30 employees out of the center of campus.This new maintenance facility will become the primary receiving area for campus deliveries – moving much of the delivery traffic out of the center of campus. Drop-off space, ADA accessible parking and a turn-around area will be available in front of Pickard. The Smith Hall parking lot (capacity = 53) is an employee and visitor’s lot during business hours and is primarily a visitor’s lot after business hours. It is not a student lot, and is convenient for Harwood/Pickard events. We feel that the combined capacities of the Woodside and Smith Hall lots (96) are sufficient for most events that take place on the upper campus.
How will emergency vehicles access that area? - A turn-around area with at least a 70-foot radius will be constructed where the intersection of Seward and Elm is currently located. This will serve well for emergency vehicles and for drivers who are dropping off visitors to Harwood. Emergency vehicles will also be able to drive on the grass or walkways should the need arise.
How will people access the cemetery? - The portion of Seward street being replaced by walkway will continue to extend down into Woodlawn Cemetery and will remain available for vehicles accustomed to using that route to enter the cemetery. The entrance on Congress Street is unaffected.
What about the Memorial Day parade route? - The parade will follow the same route as it always has, with the only difference being a vastly more appealing area of campus.
How will I get up the Congress or Elm Street hills when they're icy? - The City Administrator has expressed a commitment to making these hills the City's top priority for winter plowing and salting/sanding. Many cities in our region deal with steep hills as a matter of course; now, it will be an even greater focus for the City of Ripon.
When will the streets be closed? - We are aiming for a summer 2008 closure, shortly after the end of the College's fiscal year on June 30. A number of factors could influence the specific date, in particular the mix of necessary capital (fund-raising + financing). Also, the time required for construction and landscaping of the area depends on the final scope of the project, which is still being determined.
What are your plans for that space? - The areas currently covered in asphalt and cement will be torn up and replaced with walkways, plazas, grass, trees and other attractive landscaping features. The essential goal is to make the area look as though the roadway was never there. For a conceptual rendering of proposed elements, click here (PDF, 108K).
How much will all this cost? - Cost has not yet been determined, as we are still working with contractors to develop a hard estimate.
What will you do about parking? - There will be plenty of ADA-compliant parking adjacent to Harwood. In addition, the renovation of Harwood (currently underway) adds one more ADA-accessible entrance to the building (at the southwest corner). The parking lot at the corner of Woodside and Seward (capacity = 43) will become an employee and visitor’s lot during business hours and a visitor’s lot after business hours – not a student lot. This location is very convenient for members of the community who attend the events at Harwood. The maintenance department is moving out of Pickard to our new facility currently under construction north of Rodman. This will move the parking and traffic associated with 30 employees out of the center of campus.This new maintenance facility will become the primary receiving area for campus deliveries – moving much of the delivery traffic out of the center of campus. Drop-off space, ADA accessible parking and a turn-around area will be available in front of Pickard. The Smith Hall parking lot (capacity = 53) is an employee and visitor’s lot during business hours and is primarily a visitor’s lot after business hours. It is not a student lot, and is convenient for Harwood/Pickard events. We feel that the combined capacities of the Woodside and Smith Hall lots (96) are sufficient for most events that take place on the upper campus.
How will emergency vehicles access that area? - A turn-around area with at least a 70-foot radius will be constructed where the intersection of Seward and Elm is currently located. This will serve well for emergency vehicles and for drivers who are dropping off visitors to Harwood. Emergency vehicles will also be able to drive on the grass or walkways should the need arise.
How will people access the cemetery? - The portion of Seward street being replaced by walkway will continue to extend down into Woodlawn Cemetery and will remain available for vehicles accustomed to using that route to enter the cemetery. The entrance on Congress Street is unaffected.
What about the Memorial Day parade route? - The parade will follow the same route as it always has, with the only difference being a vastly more appealing area of campus.
How will I get up the Congress or Elm Street hills when they're icy? - The City Administrator has expressed a commitment to making these hills the City's top priority for winter plowing and salting/sanding. Many cities in our region deal with steep hills as a matter of course; now, it will be an even greater focus for the City of Ripon.
For more pictures - CLICK HERE
