Growth quite a stretch for Belmont

Construction won’t stop anytime soon at Belmont, according to the university’s Vision 2015 plan.

The plan calls for continuing construction on and off the main campus, including everything from building new athletic facilities in Rose Park and renovating the Belmont Heights Sanctuary to restoring the historic bell tower and possibly redoing the cafeteria.

Most of the construction will occur on the northwest corner of campus near 15th and Wedgewood Avenues, said Steve Lasley, vice president of finance and operations.

The land will be home to the new School of Law scheduled to open to its first class of students for the 2011-12 academic year, as well as new conference center, which will also provide additional classroom space.  Later, the area might also house a new science and religion building.

The plans also call for a revitalization of the soccer field. By fall, the field is expected to be a park-like plaza open to students.

“It’ll be like the National Mall in Washington,” Lasley said. Concrete benches curving out from the new pharmacy building will surround the mall.

A 1000-car parking garage behind Belmont Heights Baptist Church is also planned. A connecting pathway will connect the main campus and the proposed garage.

But after years of construction in the middle of campus, many Belmont students say they are concerned about the ongoing building and the noise, dust and frequent street and sidewalk detours on campus.

“I’m all for Belmont trying to expand and improve everything, but it shouldn’t interfere with people studying or sleeping. When it does, it goes too far,” said Ian Drake, who has lived next to the new dorm construction for the last two semesters.

The new construction should also avoid affecting student life as much as possible,  Drake said.

“It depends on where it’s at and where it’s going to be close to,” he said. “But if it’s far enough away, it won’t have much of an effect, which will be good.”

Lasley is optimistic that what’s ahead may be better for students.

“I think this construction will be much less disruptive than the previous ones,” Lasley said. “It will run a lot smoother than other projects.”

More buildings will house more students, and many current students express concern that the small community feeling that brought them to Belmont is in jeopardy.

“They need to ask students how they feel about it,” said Ryan Combs, one of the first students to learn about Vision 2015. “One of the biggest things they have going for them is their smallness.”
Drake is also concerned about the university’s size, but doubts it will be an issue while he is on campus.

“I guess in the long run it will be good, but now it’s going to just be a pain,” he said.

Some of the construction, including the pharmacy building and the new freshman residence halls, will be completed when students return to campus in August. The psychology building – the red brick building north of the soccer field, will be gone, and that department will be housed in the pharmacy buiding.

Land shouldn’t be an issue with this phase of construction, as Belmont already owns more than 80 percent of the land. Lasley is certain, however, that Belmont will continue to try to buy more land around the area, including property on Ashwood, Delmar, Compton and Bernard avenues.

“There’s a lot of stuff we don’t have in the area,” said Lasley. “But it’s a real slow process to acquire property. It’s hard to come by.”

Combs said he believes that if the school does expand, it will need even more land on which to build.

“I think Belmont has to make a decision. If they want to expand, they’re need to expand with land and not just build on what we have,” he said.

The decision would have its share of consequences to many, Combs said.    “You’re going to lose the community feeling if it happens though.”