LehighNow Volume 01, Issue 10

              LEHIGHNOW
March 28, 2001
Volume 1, Issue 10
Campus Square breaks ground;
alternative parking proposed
IN BRIEF
ON CAMPUS
Watch your
speed!
University police will use
a radar gun and speed
display board in April to
remind motorists of the
campus's 15-mph speed
limit and to promote
safety.
Four speed bumps
installed last fall on
Taylor Street have had
some success, says Police
Chief Ed Shupp.
"The new speed bumps
have helped to curb
excessive speeds on
Taylor Street, but many
people are still not
obeying the 15-mph
limit," says Shupp.
"Pedestrian safety is a
major concern on
campus. I urge drivers to
slow down before
someone is seriously
hurt."
The display board
shows cars' speeds in
large, bright numerals.
Police will set up check
points throughout April
at random locations on
all three campuses. The
equipment is on loan
from the Allentown
Health Bureau's Highway
Safety Program.
Groundbreaking is
scheduled for April 9 on
the $24.7-million Campus
Square project at New and
Morton streets, which will
help integrate Lehigh with
South Bethlehem, boost
South Side revitalization,
and expand student
housing.
Employees who use the
parking lot north of
Maginnes Hall are being
asked to park in the lot at
Brodhead and Packer
avenues, and in the
Zoellner Arts Center
parking garage beginning
April 9.
The announcements by
Peggy Plympton, vice
president for finance and
administration, came after
the Bethlehem Zoning
Hearing Board approved
all dimensional variances
presented by the university.
The project, scheduled to
be completed by August
2002, will include apartment-style housing for 250
students, a 16,500-square-
foot bookstore, some
"eatery" space, a 350-car
parking garage, surface
parking for more than 150
vehicles, and a pedestrian
plaza.
The four-story parking
garage should be ready for
use in September. The
Maginnes parking lot,
which fits 101 cars, will be
closed April 9, and the lot
north of Sinclair Lab, which
holds 102 cars, will be
closed May 14.
Lehigh is urging employees to use the parking lot
at Brodhead and Packer,
which has about 60 unused
spots daily.
The university is taking
these additional steps,
Plympton said:
• Adding more than 20 new
faculty and staff parking
spaces to the south side of
Asa Drive next to Sinclair
and Whitaker.
• Reducing the number of
Zoellner parking garage
permits to students from
250-100, beginning next fall,
to free more space for faculty
and staff.
• Asking the city to remove
75 parking meters on Vine,
Morton, and Webster streets
to make them available for
longer-term use.
• Building a 30-space
parking lot west of Windish
Hall, across the street from
the Rauch Business Center.
Completion is scheduled for
later this spring; zoning
approvals are pending from
the city.
• Requiring construction
workers to park at a satellite
lot on Mechanic Street
between Third and Fourth
streets throughout the
construction period.
Campus
crime falls
Crediting improved
prevention efforts, the
addition of foot and bike
patrols, and the assistance
of security guards, university police Chief Edward
Shupp says campus crime
has declined significantly for
the second year in a row.
Crime dropped 33 percent
in 2000 compared to 1999,
says Shupp, and 43 percent
compared to 1998. Categories showing steep declines
include vandalism, which
fell by 58 percent, and
alcohol violations (driving
under the influence, public
drunkenness, and underage
drinking), which dropped 35
percent.
Vandalism and thefts
accounted for 57 percent of
all campus crimes in 2000,
Shupp reported, while
alcohol violations made up
30 percent of crimes.
The police department has
increased from one to three
the number of officers
responsible for crime-
prevention programs, says
Shupp, while doubling
crime-prevention contacts
with students. Bike patrols,
walking patrols and security
guards complement the
efforts of officers patrolling
campus in cars.
Those interested in
scheduling a crime-prevention seminar can call
university police at x84200.
The police also maintain a
crime-prevention tip line at
x82200. For detailed crime
statistics for the past three
years, visit
www2.lehigh.edu/
page.asp?page=safety.