$457k sign signals new project

In an effort to improve visitors' experience at UCF, the university has constructed a new sign.

The new marquee, built on Alafaya Trail near Greek Park, is the first part of a multi-year project dedicated to improving visitors' experience, traffic flow and security at UCF, according to Grant Heston, the assistant vice president of UCF News & Information.

According to UCF's Office of Facilities Planning, the new sign will cost $457,000 and is funded through the office's minor projects and utilities.

Of the total cost, $120,000 went to installing a fiber optic cable that will link e-mails and messages to the digital component within the structure.

The old marquee near the intersection of Gemini Boulevard and Alafaya Trail, which has been torn down, cost $100,000 when it was built in 1999.

"I think it has exceeded its use of life," said Heston about the old sign. "The old sign wasn't reusable and when it came time for permitting and zoning, it came apart."

Reasons for the building of the new sign could be traced back to student outcry over the condition of the older one.

UCF's Student Government Association presidential candidates have made promises for a new sign a part of their platforms numerous times in the past.

According to Joshua Miller, a history and political science major and the president pro tempore of SGA, the organization petitioned students' concerns about the old sign and pushed to make it happen.

"The administration has a lot of respect for SGA and [student body president] Brian Peterson," Miller said. "Because of that we have a voice. The administration listens to us a lot more."

Heston, however, points toward other administrative actions.

According to Heston, surveys taken by 400 students, faculty, staff and visitors cited traffic flow and parking and building locations as major concerns when visiting the campus.

Because of those findings, the university decided to take action.

The project, which has been advised by a committee of students, faculty and staff, will include direction and pedestrian signs, better building and parking lot signs and other UCF marquees being built in the near future, Heston said.

One of the issues Heston stressed was how the new sign can be used for campus security.
The new sign will increase the effectiveness of the school's emergency alert system.

Another improvement over the old sign is the new sign's electronic component has a life expectancy of about 20 years.

The fiber optic line will not have to be reinstalled if other buildings are constructed in the surrounding area.

According to Heston, Orange County required the university to take down the old sign as part of the installation of the new one.

Students have expressed concern that the money used to build the sign was spent frivolously.

Alyssa Fuller, a junior psychology major, said there are other things the money should go toward.

Fuller said she believes that building more parking garages will benefit the school better. She cites an example where students are receiving parking tickets because they have nowhere to park.

"For a school with problems with parking and other stuff, a sign really is not that important," Fuller said. "We're notified of events via MyUCF. We really don't need it."

To the administration, the benefits outweigh the cost.

"This is a fantastic project," Heston said. "It will benefit students, faculty, staff and students. We are pleased to be able to do it in a fiscally responsible way."