Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of Ivy Tech Columbus’s new campus building Moravec Hall in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. The building is named after local philanthropist and business owner Tony Moravec.
Motorists may see some closures along Central Avenue as contractors develop a new entrance into Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus.
The Columbus Board of Works has approved a special use of right-of-way request from Force Construction, with the company stating that the work may require a partial lane closure. The request is dated Nov. 13 to Dec. 31.
According to Columbus Municipal Airport Director Brian Payne, the new entrance will run from Central Avenue to the front of Moravec Hall and is part of the airpark campus master plan.
The Cummins Foundation’s architecture program previously provided a grant for a landscape design framework for the campus and a detailed design for its southwest corner. Architecture firm Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN), based in Seattle, was selected as the project’s designer from a shortlist recommended by the foundation.
The landscape design project has involved a number of community and campus stakeholders, with the Community Education Coalition (CEC) helping lead discussions. The work was partially spurred by the construction of Moravec Hall, which now forms part of the airpark campus’ southwest corner.
This corner is the subject of the current project by Force, said CEC President and CEO Kathy Oren.
“We are in really the first phase of the master plan,” she said.
Payne described the new entrance as a “grand entryway into the Ivy Tech space.” He added that they will also be eliminating the current entrance that leads into the southwest parking lot, and the lot itself will also be eliminated.
However, Ivy Tech will still retain its existing south entrance off of Poshard Drive, Oren said.
According to Payne, this project also includes an expanded concrete courtyard between the Columbus Learning Center and Moravec Hall that can function as an outdoor event space, a new walking path system, a small shift to the People Trail system and new landscaping features.
“We have several different meadows and grass areas that we’re putting in, and they will transition from grass to this open, more free-flow meadow area utilizing some pollinators and other natural grasses,” Payne said. “And this walkway will be in that entire area.”
He added that construction will last several months and continue into the middle of next year. He’s not sure if Force will be able to get the surface-level asphalt down before winter hits, so the road may not be finished until next spring. This is also when planting is expected to take place.
Construction is being funded by a $1.7 million Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative grant, said Oren.
“We are super excited to get started with the construction,” she said. “It’s going to be really beautiful when it’s done. It won’t look beautiful until next summer, but it’s going to be really exciting to see things happening out there. And we’re hoping that this is really a place that makes the entire campus feel even more warm and welcoming.”
