By JO DOAK
With the ongoing construction taking place on Amarillo College’s Washington Street Campus, students and staff can expect changes in the school’s flora.
“We’re trying to change the look a little bit,” Danny Smith, master plan program manager said. “We have very green grass in the summertime, but then it goes dormant in the wintertime, and it’s just not as attractive. Now that we’re replacing grass, we’ve chosen fescue because it’s lush and stays greener longer.”
Smith said that the resodding is a part of the $89 million ongoing project to improve Amarillo College’s campuses and facilities.
While more renovations are planned for the future, changing the grass may seem small but could help to improve the campus curb appeal. “One thing that helps students, and brings students to a campus, is the way that the campus looks; it’s all about first impressions,” Smith said. “Students want a nice campus atmosphere, and green grass is one of those things that make a strong impression.”
Grass isn’t the only new greenery that students and faculty can look forward to seeing around campus. Smith and his team have said they are focused on curating a picture-perfect atmosphere and view that guests can enjoy while utilizing new facilities. “We made a hard decision to take a lot of trees down. It really upset some landscape architects around here, but they were ugly trees,” Smith said. “We wanted the new look of The FirstBank Southwest Center to shine through, and the trees near that building sort of hid the new blue and gray paneling.”
There are plans to replace the trees throughout the park. Smith said removing the trees will help to create a nicer view out of the cardio area of the fitness center.
Renovations to sidewalks around campus are also planned within the next few weeks which should help decrease flooding issues. “We’ll be knocking a retaining wall down and grade areas so that everything drains nicely,” Smith said. “It will be a nice slope, and we’ll replant all of the trees in those areas as well.”
There are several projects planned, so AC students, faculty and staff can expect future renovations throughout the rest of 2024 and into 2025 as a part of the ongoing beautification project taking place on all AC campuses.
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