USA bell tower, alumni plaza becoming reality
Construction is going on all over campus, but one project has a special story. The bell tower has been in the works for two decades. Twenty years ago, initial discussions began about building a bell tower and the first donations were also given. The bell tower and alumni plaza are finally under construction and set to be complete later this year. Administrators hope to have the complex complete in time for homecoming on Nov. 7, but, depending on the weather, it may be as late as January 2010.
The Press-Register recently published an article detailing the progress of the bell tower and several readers saw fit to comment on the article on the newspaper’s Web site. Of the five comments posted, four were obviously negative. The project was heavily criticized and even called “a complete waste of money.” Although it cannot be determined whether the comments were posted by USA students, it was very clear that some people view the project negatively. In defense of the new bell tower, Director of Public Relations Keith Ayers explained that alumni have been pushing for the construction of the bell tower for a long time. Many donations have been made in support of the bell tower and alumni plaza. Two-thirds of the $3 million construction costs were financed by private donations. To date, the University has contributed approximately $1 million to the project. “The bell tower is an important project that gives the University a sense of history and tradition,” Ayers said. “It would not be right for us to use that money, which was donated for the construction of the bell tower, in other areas.” Ayers also pointed out there are a number of significant gifts still in the proposal stage. Alumni have undoubtedly been the strongest proponents and supporters of the new bell tower. Many have been working on the project for several years. For those alumni who no longer live in the Mobile area, there is a live webcam set up at the site of the new bell tower so that everyone can track the progress of its construction. The footage can be viewed from the following Web site.
To view more live web cams around USA – Visit the webcam section in USA – HERE
