Construction will begin on campus court

It looks like basketballs will soon be bouncing on a new court on campus after all. Construction was given the go-ahead on the new outdoor basketball court on the roof of a parking garage at 38th and Spruce streets yesterday after the University received the city's permission on Tuesday. The courts were supposed to be completed by the start of classes two weeks ago, but Penn could not secure a city zoning permit until now. "The issue was obtaining permits and having the permits go through the city process," Provost Robert Barchi said, adding that there were a few "technical issues that needed to be ironed out." But after the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections granted Penn's third request, Barchi notified the Undergraduate Assembly Executive Board that construction could finally begin. Barchi said he expects the courts will be completed by the end of October. And that, he said, is a "liberal" projection of how long it will take to build the court. "We think we can do it in a shorter time period," UA Chairman and College senior Michael Bassik said, explaining that the UA had been told it would only take four weeks to construct the court. Now that construction is underway, Barchi said he doesn't think the project will face any delays. "The project itself is fairly straightforward," he said. The new basketball court is a joint effort of the UA and the administration, which agreed in May to build the court on the roof of the parking garage. Early last year, a survey of students showed a need for more outdoor recreational spaces, prompting the UA to start discussing the possibility of new courts. The need became more apparent as further surveying revealed that the campus' existing basketball courts were consistently overcrowded and did not meet the needs of the University community. Construction of the court will cost the UA and the University between $80,000 and $100,000. In January, the UA raised $500 to kick in toward the project, and also used $30,000 of their budget to help see that the court gets constructed. The Development Office put $20,000 toward the court. Barchi had said that if the group secured $30,000 in funding, the administration would secure the rest. Bassik commended the work of the administration in helping see that the basketball court gets built. "This was not any fault of the administration, for the delay," he said. "The administration has kept their promise to the UA to build the court." Bassik said he was never frustrated with the permit process despite the fact that it took the University three tries to get a permit. In fact, he said, it was "much quicker than expected." Bassik added that he hoped to celebrate the opening of the court by pitting three UA members against three members of the administration -- including Barchi.

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