Students returning to classes at Glen Oaks this semester are likely to notice some visible changes to the campus after staff and contractors spent the summer working on completing improvements.

“With fewer people around over the summer due to COVID-19, it was a perfect time to complete several projects that had been on the backburner,” said Glen Oaks President Dr. David Devier. The college used part of a $1.5 million, 2018 Michigan Economic Development Corporation grant to fund the work, along with other sources.

First established in 1965, Glen Oaks opened its campus in 1969 on a 320-acre former farm property in a rural part of St. Joseph County, a short distance south of Centreville. The core of the campus’ main building, which includes several wings and additions, dates to the 1960s and 1970s. However, some additions and separate facilities are far newer, including recently built dormitories featuring single-occupant bedrooms that have proven useful during the pandemic.

This summer’s main project was the complete reconstruction of the campus’s main parking lot, had dated to the college’s opening. “We received a $50,000 grant toward the parking lot project from the Motorcycle Safety program funding from the State of Michigan,” said Devier. “The program, which has been held at the Sturgis Middle School, will be moving to campus next summer.” 

The parking lot project was slated to be included as part of the state’s capital outlay project, but staff later learned parking lots do not qualify under that program. According to a press release issued by the college Thursday, there is also “a new parking lot by the north handicap entrance,” and the south handicap entrance parking area has been rebuilt.  

The summer’s work included removal of several large, earthen mounds and concrete bridges formed part of the system of emergency exits that had served the core buildings since the campus original opening. “Erosion and maintenance were issues with the large dirt mounds” said Devier. “There were also ADA issues that needed to be addressed.”

Removing the mounds has significantly changed the aesthetic appearance of the campus. It also created additional faculty and staff parking spaces on the north side of the campus, “including additional ADA parking. The fire escapes now have outside stairwells, and finally, yes, with the dirt mounds gone, the areas are more aesthetically pleasing,” Devier said.

Devier provided updates throughout the summer during Board of Trustees meetings. The work was largely concluded by late August, in time for students to return. “We used local contractors with the exception of an asphalt company out of Plainwell, Michigan,” Devier said. “They were able to reuse the asphalt grinds to sell for fill and residential driveways, and the excavator was able to resell the soil from the mounds.”

Less readily visible but also impactful has been behind-the-scenes infrastructural repairs and improvements, as well as work on the forests surrounding the main campus buildings. At Thursday’s trustees meeting, Director of Institutional Innovation Rob Kuhlman described a tree harvest that took place over the summer. 

Contractors removed 203 trees, which Kuhlman said, “seems like a lot,” but was spread out over the more than 100 acres of forested land on the property. The purpose of the tree removal program is to permit additional light to reach the forest floor by creating openings in the foliage canopy. This permits better regeneration of the trees by allowing sprouts and saplings to grow as an alternative to replanting, Kuhlman said.

Concurrent with the forestry work, plans are under development to install new paths and educational nature trails through the woods with interpretive signage. There are also plans to address invasive plants, and additional trees will be removed in future phases of work. A forester will identify more trees for removal next fall, and those trees will be removed the following year, Kuhlman said.

Devier said Thursday that further capital project planning continues to take place. In the meantime, he said, some changes to the campus were a response to more immediate needs due to the pandemic. They included reconfiguration of classrooms and conversion of other, larger spaces for classroom use to accommodate social distancing. 

Devier said Thursday that maintenance staff “have been here the whole time. Whether reconfiguring classrooms, managing the parking lot project, removal of mounds, and putting up fire escapes, the list goes on and on. How fortunate we are to have a group of individuals that just get it done.” 

Devier said Thursday that further capital project planning continues to take place.

Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.