Students looking to get their point across in Free Speech Alley will be able to do so in a more aesthetically pleasing area this semester.
The area directly in front of the 39-year-old LSU Union is getting a much-needed facelift, according to Shirley Plakidas, Union director.
“All it was, was a blocked off street,” Plakidas said. “This project was long overdue.”
Free Speech Alley, an area designated for student debate and forum, is being revamped to improve its appearance and accessibility, said Ken Bueche, associate director for Union operations.
Bueche said the renovations to Free Speech Alley will occur in two phases with the first phase being completed by the first day of classes.
Phase one of the project includes repaving the original Free Speech Alley street directly in front of the Union, Bueche said.
The area will be repaved with a mosaic cement design similar to the one used in the outside area between the bookstore and the post office on the first floor of the Union. Repaving the area will allow the surface to become a flat walkthrough instead of the street design it was in the past. CSRS Architecture, the company in charge of designing the project, designed the mosaic pattern.
Originally, phase one was expected to be finished by Aug. 15, but a late addition to the project resulted in a week-long delay.
Bueche said an extra order was placed on laying cement down in front of the Union Theater to prevent water from entering the building. Water would enter the building during heavy rain storms, Bueche said.
Phase two already has begun in the triangular grass region between Free Speech Alley and the parking area along the Parade Grounds. The area, which often was used for pottery sales, will feature a circular speaking platform surrounded by bench seating for students to gather and listen to a speaker.
The second phase to the Free Speech Alley project also will include renovations to Tower Drive, Bueche said.
Two large iron gates on Tower Drive will replace the yellow poles and chain link used to block traffic from flowing in front of the Union on Tower Drive between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during the week. The gates will be placed in front of David Boyd Hall, Bueche said.
Phase two should be finished September 30.
The reconstruction of Free Speech Alley will cost about $325,000, Plakidas said, and is being split between the Union reserves and the Chancellor’s “Enhancing the Core” project.
Emmett David, facilities services director, said the “Enhancing the Core” project raises money through a $1 fee placed on all football tickets. David said the annual amount earned is $475,000, which is used to improve different areas of the University.
Currently, the area in front of the Greek Theater is being redone using money from the project, David said.
Groups and organizations will be able to table in Free Speech Alley during the first week of school unless work crews are unable to successfully lay the cement down prior to school starting, Plakidas said.
Bueche said groups will be given the option to table inside the Union if they wish to stay away from the continuing construction.
Shawn Hascom, LSU College Republican Alliance president, said he hopes his group will be permitted to table in Free Speech Alley on the first day of school.
Hascom received an e-mail during the summer asking if the organization would consider tabling on the bottom level of the Union in case the renovation to Free Speech Alley was incomplete.