Trimmed trees and shrubs, replaced light bulbs and additional fixtures are improving safety on campus.
Facility Services has completed several maintenance projects and has more underway to improve lighting in problem areas on campus. The improvements are the result of student and staff input.
“Every fall, we get a team together to survey the campus, to walk through and highlight problems with the lighting,” said Peter Davidson, director of Energy Services.
The Safety Lighting Walk last semester looked at maintenance issues, tree trimming or landscaping issues and the need for upgrades or additions to existing lighting.
Major tree trimming projects took place during the semester break to improve nighttime visibility on campus.
“There were 69 individual locations related to security lighting that we followed up and did work on,” said Fred Fellner, assistant director of Landscape Services.
The trimming project cost $20,000 in supplemental funding from Facility Services.
Money was used for overtime work and equipment rental, so the project could be completed quickly.
“We used inmate labor to help clean up, and we couldn’t have done it without them,” Fellner said.
Students and Student Government officials along with staff from the Office of Traffic and Transportation, Public Safety, LSUPD and Residential Life all made suggestions for additional or improved light fixtures on campus.
“We had the biggest turnout at the walk this year from students,” Davidson said.
From the 129 areas highlighted in last semester’s Safety Lighting Walk, Facility Services prioritized the most critical areas to improve and upgrade. Davidson said some of the priorities included crosswalks and areas near residence halls.
“The concern is making sure there are routes to get around campus that are safe,” Davidson said.
Eric Ellis, SG director of Transportation and Safety, said he is pleased that the students’ input has been valuable to Facility Services and improvements are being made.
“The biggest problem we had was the fork at Highland Road and Nicholson Extension,” Ellis said. “They’ve cleared out all the trees and shrubbery, and it has decreased shadows and increased lighting.”
Davidson said Facility Services is finished with maintenance and landscaping items and is in the upgrading process of improving lighting. New light poles and fixtures are out on order, and he expects the remainder of the lighting projects to be completed by semester end.