When ISU students return to school in the fall, the Campanile area will have a slightly different look.

Starting immediately after Veishea and continuing during the summer months, the area between Carver Hall and the Gerdin Business Building will undergo renovations.

Cathy Brown, program coordinator for Facilities Planning and Management, said the addition of several new features will make the Campanile area more accessible to students.

The changes to the area include new plants, sidewalk lighting, fencing and a sidewalk connecting Carver to Gerdin, Brown said.

Randy Larabee, engineer for Facilities Planning and Management, said there is another part to the renovation project involving new power outlets being installed.

“The intent of the project for my department is to increase the electrical service around the Campanile area. We have a limited electrical service to the Campanile,” he said. Currently, “if you have a music event or a band and want a sound system, lights, or a small concession stand then you have a problem.”

Larabee said the new electrical outlets are a part of a larger campuswide renovation to install new high voltage systems.

“[The outlets] will cost around $60,000, but that is just for the Campanile area,” he said. “This may seem like a lot of money, but we will be able to accommodate a lot more Veishea activities next year. I think over the next several years, once various groups and committees find out about the renovations, the area will be reserved much more frequently.”

Larabee said there will be four locations south and three locations north of the Campanile to accommodate activities.

“There will be virtually no restrictions for size or capacity of electronics that can be plugged into these new outlets. Three of these outlets will be above ground pedestals and the new outlets will be farther away from the Campanile so people have more of an area to set up equipment,” he said. “Students or anyone will be able to essentially plug things in with an extension cord without the help of any electrical servicemen.”

Brown said the two projects are separate but are being coordinated together since they both help develop the Campanile area.

“We will make the whole Campanile area more accessible by simply extending the sidewalk,” she said.

Brown said the construction will not interfere with plans people have already made for the summer because the Campanile area is not able to be reserved during this construction time.