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Path to see temporary fix

The grassy pathway that leads from the north side of Lot 20A toward Calhoun Road will receive a layer of gravel next week to address student complaints that the area often floods when it rains, said Alex Alexander, director of Custodial and Ground Services for Plant Operations.

Lot 20A is the largest parking lot on campus with 1,400 student parking spots, according to documents obtained from UH Director of Parking and Transportation Robert Browand.

Most of the spaces are east of the Baptist Student Ministries building, which blocks access to University Boulevard, so students have to walk around toward the crossway or go through the grass to get to Calhoun Road.

"My shoes get wet and I don’t care," accounting sophomore Thu Pham said. "It’s too far to go around."

The property does not belong to UH, which is why it can’t build a walkway without permission, Alexander said.

"The gravel is only a temporary solution until something permanent can be worked out," Darrell Bunch, UH senior project manager said. "We are going to put some gravel and then look at the development (of the Calhoun Beautification Project) and see what we can do. Maybe we will make it more accessible."

The Calhoun Beautification Project is part of the University’s master plan and is disigned to turn the area around the Calhoun Lofts into a pedestrian-friendly place, Vice President of Plant Operations Dave Irvin said.

The tentative long-term solution for the walkway is to remove the older, broken sidewalk on Calhoun Road and change the slope of the grassy area to better drain the rainwater, Alexander said. The project can take place after the Calhoun Lofts, located beside Melcher Hall, are completed next summer, since the construction would likely tear up the new concrete pathway, he said.

The University has been hesitant to build the pathway in the area because it might encourage students to cross through the median of Calhoun Road, Alexander said.

In August, more than a dozen 40- to 50-year-old live oak tree were removed to build Calhoun Lofts, and were replanted in the nearby area. Two of them were replanted on the median, and because of student traffic through the area, the trees are having a hard time surviving, Bunch said.

"When people walk on the grass in the median, it packs the dirt down and forces the oxygen that is in the soil upwards," Bunch said. "If the roots do not have enough oxygen then the tree struggles to survive. One of them is in real danger."

Plant Operations considered fencing off the parking lot from the grassy area to force students to walk around, Alexander said.

Students said a gravel walkway would be beneficial.

"That would be really good because when it rains, you can barely get across," accounting senior Daisy Rangel said. "I have to pick the least muddy side, or walk around (to the crossway to get to class)."

Finance and marketing senior Veronica Zapata said she agreed.

"I think (the gravel pathway) will be nice," she said. "With as much money as we pay the school, they should definitely pave that walkway."

Plant Operations is encouraging members or visitors of the University to come forward with suggestions for improving the area.

"We’re very interested in getting input from students in places that need work," Irvin said. "They can call the fix-it hotline (at (713)743-4948) or e-mail me personally."

Students can contact Irvin at [email protected].

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