Saluki Way hits a rain delay

Construction of Saluki Way has hit its first snag after a month of good weather and favorable construction conditions.

Rain during the last week has nearly stopped the construction process, as the wet soil does not allow groundwork to continue, administrators said.

However, Associate Athletic Director Jason King said the rain would not put construction behind schedule because contractors planned rain days into the schedule.

“We live in southern Illinois,” King said. “We understand what the climate is and what we’re going to have to deal with.”

King said he hopes to get more groundwork done in the coming days as the weather is supposed to clear. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Paducah, Ky., predicts highs between the 50s and 70s for the rest of the week.

Athletic Director Mario Moccia said it has been frustrating to watch the process proceed at a slower pace than it had been over the last month.

“I find myself checking the weather reports more than I normally would,” Moccia said. “I laughed because I was complaining, ‘I can’t believe it’s raining this much,’ and it reminded me of the big floods last year. You never wish for a drought, but I’m hoping for a long dry spell so they can get some stuff accomplished.”

Director of Plant and Service Operations Phil Gatton said a lot of the scheduling work has been completed during the rain spells.

“We spend a lot of time going through the drawings and specifications of the contract,” Gatton said. “We also make sure we don’t have any problems out there. We start going through the schedules so everybody knows what their role is.”

Gatton said time spent off the construction site during rain delays is time contractors are able to do more planning for the project.

King said he has been happy to see contractors’ trailers appear on the construction site.

“Now these guys have a place to basically call home,” King said. “It gives them a place where they can go in and set up their computers. It just helps them move through the process easier.”

King said the contractors had been forced to use the media center typically used for basketball games because electricity had not been set up at the construction site.

Gatton said having more trailers on-site also shows that more contractors are now working on the project.

“The fact that more and more contractors are moving in on-site means that we’re going to start moving faster,” Gatton said. “Eventually, you’ll see more and more people building where you actually see part of the building start to go up.”

Gatton said there are about 40 contractors on-site.

King said he is still happy about the progress the project is making and said it is still on pace to be finished by the 2010 athletic seasons.

“I still feel good about where we’re at with the project,” King said. “The weather is always going to be the weather, so I think we’re moving forward the way we need to be moving forward.”

Stile Smith can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268