New Light Eases
Traffic Hassles
Students and faculty can now
breathe a little easier behind the
wheel as they enter or leave cam
pus because of the new traffic
light that was recently installed
at the entrance to PSH. The sig
nal, which marks the intersection
of Route 230 (Harrisburg Pike)
and College Avenue (First
Street), has helped drivers
endure congestion and negotiate
the tricky turns since the middle
of last month. Workers installed
the light on flash mode on Feb.
16; the regular cycle began Feb.
23 after drivers adjusted to the
new traffic patterns.
“The campus has a big interest
in promoting safety. This light
has been something we’ve want
ed for a long time,” said Kevin
Stoehr, director of safety and
The former home of Heindel Library waits for construction to begin
on food court and student organization offices.
By Paula Marinak
Capital Times Staff Writer
police services at PSH.
Before the light existed, dri
vers often experienced a lot of
difficulty getting on and off cam
pus during the morning and
evening rush hours when traffic
flow peaked.
Stoehr said his office had
received several complaints prior
to the intersection’s improve
ments. Many motorists had also
reported close calls. But, the new
light has alleviated much of that
tension. “It’s much easier to
n, '' make turns, especially a left turn.
The light makes it easier to navi
gate the intersection, especially
when leaving the property after
day and evening classes,” Stoehr
said.
The increased safety and secu
rity carried a substantial price
page 3
tag, however. The $85,000 bill
for the light was divided between
PSH and Industrial Warehouse,
located behind the campus com
plex. The warehouse covered
half the cost since its facility’s
trucks frequently use College
Avenue. The school contributed
the remaining money from vehi
cle registration fees.
The light was strictly a Penn
State project even though the
university and the intersection
are part of Lower Swatara
Township. “We didn’t really
have much to do with this at all.
Our main responsibility is to
maintain the light and pay the
electric bill,” said Ronald Paul,
township manager. “We weren’t
involved in any phase of the
design, construction or inspec
tion. That was all handled by the
university’s construction firm,
and the permit came from
PennDOT.”
Although the township played
a very limited role in this enter-
Continued on Page 3
Big Changes Brewing
PSH's next big change is hap
pening right now behind the
closed doors of the former
Heindel Library.
Over the coming months, the
new campus eatery and home for
student clubs will be built in the
area of Olmsted vacated by the
old library.
According to Director of
Student Affairs Dr. Donald
Holtzman, the food court and
Town Square should be complet
ed by the end of the spring 2001
semester.
Things are moving quickly.
The concept has been approved,
page 7
The long anticipated traffic light is now in operation at the
campus entrance.
Library Hours
Expanding
By Cathie McCormick Musser
Capital Times Staff Writer
Sunday.
Funding is in place to expand
the hours of operation at the new
PSH library by more than 10
hours per week.
According to Library Director
Dr. Harold Shill, employment
ads for part-time staff to cover
the additional hours will run
after spring break.
The approved plan is for the
library to open at 7:45 a.m.
Monday through Friday, remain'
open until 9 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday and open at noon on
By Cathie McCormick Musser
Capital Times Staff Writer
the architects have been hired
and the team working on the plan
is holding their breath waiting
for the first draft of an architec
tural plan to arrive sometime this
month.
According to Holtzman, for
mer Provost and Dean Dr. John
Bruhn sought proposals for the
use of the old library space from
the campus community once the
new library was officially
approved.
Of the 12 to 14 proposals
reviewed, two rose to the top of
the pile and were approved.
One of those proposals was
page 9
Currently, the library opens at
8 a.m. during the week, is open
until 5 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday and opens at 1 p.m. on
Sunday.
Shill is optimistic that the
extra 15 minutes on weekday
mornings will help students
wishing to use the library prior
to 8 a.m. classes. He is also
pleased to offer students the
Continued on Page 2
in Old Library
from Housing and Food
Services. They proposed relocat
ing all campus food services to
the first floor of Olmsted and
changing the overall design from
cafeteria to food court style.
According to Manager of
Housing and Food Services
JoAnn Coleman, many college
campuses have adopted a food
court style of food service.
While the actual design is far
from complete, the concept is to
have different stands for differ
ent types of food, like the food
Continued on Page 5
page 10