After 10 years, fence near IU Auditorium removed Wednesday

After almost 10 years, the fence on the north side of the IU Auditorium that blocks Seventh Street has come down. \nThe date of the fence's removal had been up in the air due to funding and project planning, but its unexpected removal pleased many students.\n"I take this route to and from my classes and it caused some inconvenience, but now there is plenty of space," said freshman Anna Young. "But, after all that time, I thought they would've built something."\nThe fence was constructed in the fall of 1997 as a staging area for construction at the auditorium and has stored building materials for many different construction sites since.\nRecently, the fence blocked in a staging area for the Simon Hall Multidisciplinary Science Building Phase I, which is being constructed on the south side of the chemistry building.\n"We want to make the site safe and accessible to the students," said University architect Bob Meadows. "We feel that the center of campus should be focused toward pedestrians and bicyclists." \nCompared to the natural beauty of much of IU's campus, the fenced area was ugly, many students said. As the project pushed through its 10th year, students were beginning to wonder if it would ever come down.\n"There are definitely a lot of people who walk through here, and the area was mainly just an eyesore," senior Adam Gratz said. "But, sometimes, when the bicyclists get in there, it gets a little tight."\nGratz won't have to worry about being uncomfortable any longer because the space is wide open for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel in harmony. \nA curbing project is being planned, Meadows said. The curbs will bring the project toward its goal of opening a pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists. It would also serve as a route for emergency vehicles, Meadows said.\n"None of the construction is appealing, but we have to do these things in order to achieve what we want to achieve," Meadows said. \nMeadows was not able to return phone calls concerning the removal of the fence as of press time.\n"The fence was in the way, but you could go around and go up the stairs," freshman Brittany Mani said. "I think it would be great if a bus would go through there. That's what I'm waiting for."\nThere are currently no plans to open the route to non-emergency vehicles.