A joint city and campus area planning committee met Monday to review construction and renovation projects around the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
The Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee discussed current plans for the ongoing deconstruction of the original Gordon Commons, which will be replaced with a large, outdoor garden area where students can congregate.
Deconstruction will begin Friday, according to UW Facilities Planning and Management Representative Gary Brown.
Brown said the deconstruction schedule will attempt to keep the noisiest parts of the process confined to times when class is not in session, such as winter break.
The committee also discussed the ongoing first phase of the Memorial Union renovation process, which Brown said is “on schedule and on budget,” and is expected to be completed in summer of 2014.
“So far we've been really pleased with the lack of problems we've encountered,” Brown said.
The second phase of construction, which will affect the central and east wings of the Union, is currently in fundraising and has raised $5 million of its $20 million fundraising goal.
The committee also discussed plans for a music performance facility on the the vacant site on the 700 block of University Avenue where Brother's Bar and Grill and neighboring buildings were recently removed.
Brown said the music facility will be part of a larger concept for an “arts district” in the southeast campus area.
Construction on the performance center will begin in late 2014 or early 2015, according to Brown.
