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Tivoli renovation nears completion
Student event patio is next possible step in last leg of project
By Barbara Hernandez
bhernan5@mscd.edu

Outdoor repairs and renovations costing almost $2 million signify the last touch-ups of the Tivoli’s three-year transformation.

Construction workers and equipment, of Gerald H. Phipps General Contractors, currently occupy the southwest side of the Tivoli, where they are building a loading dock for the Auraria Bookstore.

Originally located at the Plaza Building, the loading dock construction is phase one of the Tivoli’s outdoor renovations.

Construction will move the loading dock from the Plaza Building to the Tivoli’s south side so that trucks will not have to drive across the pedestrian sidewalk, said Barbara Weiske, division director at Student Auxiliary Services of Auraria.

The loading dock’s new location makes for a safer pedestrian sidewalk on the Tivoli’s southwest side.

Funds for the loading dock are approximately $975,000, the money coming from bonds invested for the project from student fees, Weiske said.

“In 1999 students essentially voted to raise fees to fix this place,” she said.

As of now, the RTD bus roundabout located southeast of the Tivoli remains vacant.

However, Weiske said future plans for the area include a circular patio of pavement with areas to sit and a backdrop area for bands.

“The vacated turnaround, or special event and student-activity patio, does not have a
construction schedule yet, as it is being developed,” Weiske said. “Again, weather in the winter can create delays for outdoor work of this nature. Even if it doesn’t snow, it can be too cold to pour concrete. However, I would guess that the project will be completed sometime in the spring.”

Design firm Slater-Paull & Associates are solely responsible for the conceptual plans of the special event and student-activity patio, with architects doing the engineering from a phasing standpoint.

The project Architect for Slater-Paull & Associates, Jennifer Cordes, said they are working with a landscape design team and are in the design development phase, in which the design documents are recognized so contractors can price the project.

“We met with Barbara Weiske and student representatives,” Cordes said. “The design was presented to the (Auraria Higher Education Center) board, and they approved it.”

The special event and student-activity patio will cost $1 million, funds coming from the same source as the new loading dock as well as from interest earned, Weiske said.

“(The) construction start date is not yet known. Probably springtime, though,” she said.
The renovation timeline for the Tivoli spans three years, and spring 2007 will most likely mark the endpoint of the construction.

“It has been a great experience to see the building come to life as the paint was removed,” Weiske said.

“But it will also be nice to bring an end to the disruption of construction and begin to celebrate the end results, which are areas that the students can use more freely.”

Regarding the completion of the Tivoli, Weiske said, “I think it would be in order to have a celebration. The students have much to celebrate regarding this awesome project and their commitment to seeing it through.”