The Eastern Michigan University Physical Plant is renovating the courtyard in King Hall as a result of the Sept. 20 graffiti incident which included racial slurs spray painted on the west wall.
According to Geoffrey Larcom, EMU Director of Media Relations, the renovations include installation of a new light pole, a new security camera, as well as upcoming future improvements.
These improvements will include caulking and painting the decorative metal cladding that surrounds the exterior windows on rooms 117- A, 117-B and 219 King hall, installing stairs and a walkway between King hall and the Marshall building and the removal of two trees advised by the university’s arborist, which will take place this weekend. The projects as well as the camera have been paid for by existing campus funds set aside for safety measures.
Larcom said. “There are more than 700 cameras on campus and surveillance has been added to help ensure such an incident cannot be repeated in the courtyard area.”
The next building to be renovated in the upcoming year will be Strong Hall. Built in 1957 and located in the middle of campus, it has yet to be updated since its construction. Strong Hall has been the top state capital outlay project since the 2010 fiscal year -- the year after EMU received funding to begin renovations on the Pray-Harrold building.
Strong Hall is part of Eastern's Science Complex and currently houses key science programs including the Mars Computer Weather Simulation Lab, the Plasma Physics Lab, and the astronomy department.
