It snakes out from Lora Robins Court, braving the unsteady terrain as it twists and winds around the corner of UR Drive and Westhampton Way. It's large \0xAD— at least seven feet tall — and green, and it's hiding something.
What's behind the giant fence next to Lora Robins Court? The answer is not as exciting as the mystery may seem: a whole lot of dirt.
University architect Andrew McBride said the space was filled with trees until a tornado ripped the trees up two years ago. Engineers from the Army Corps of Engineers examined the area and determined that the land was unsuitable for planting new trees.
Following their recommendation, the university has filled in the stream that ran from behind the Modlin Center to behind Lora Robins Court and has been dumping dirt from other construction projects on campus to build up the land.
"Usually we dump the dirt off-campus, which is expensive because we have to pay for the transport and the rights to dump the dirt," McBride said. He added that the use of the space next to Lora Robins Court allowed the university to save money and improve the aesthetics of the campus.
After the tornado, the area became a disorderly pit filled with weeds and small plant life. The fence was put up to hide the dirt while the land is built up, McBride said, and it will remain until the project is finished, which may take several years.
"It depends on how much dirt will have to be exported from future construction projects," he said.
In the meantime, the residents of Lora Robins Court have been treated to an earful. Freshman Meredith Fay, whose first-floor windows overlook the site, said she heard backing-up noises and loud slamming noises every day last semester but she had not noticed the noise yet this semester.
Down the hall, Sarah Hines said she did not hear the noises often but she occasionally heard the trucks in the morning.
McBride said there were no plans for what type of building would go there.
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Hines said she could not imagine another building there because the lot seemed so small. "I'd be pretty upset if I looked out my window to see another brick wall," she added.
She suggested adding a nice garden to beautify the space. Fay suggested another parking lot. It will be several years before the land is ready for building, but in the meantime, McBride said, residents of Lora Robins Court should expect a little noise every once in a while.
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