NIU has been undergoing many concrete repairs, but with a limited budget, only projects considered a priority can be finished.

Patricia Perkins, administrative assistant for Finance and Planning, said $25,000 is allocated every year for concrete work.

After securing bids with contractors, the next step is to find what areas need repairs.

Each year, Sue Reinhardt, coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, compiles a list of areas which might present hazards for handicapped students.

This year, the list included such hazards as broken concrete in front of the Music Building and a drop between two sidewalk pieces in front of Davis Hall.

“I personally go out and look at every area that I submit on that list,” Reinhardt said.

University Campus Planner Jim Murphy said he consults Reinhardt and decides which projects should be repaired immediately.

Murphy said if a construction project is planned for a later time, making immediate repairs would be a waste of the taxpayers’ money.

In addition to Reinhardt’s list, Murphy said the grounds department also considers projects they deem necessary, such as the sidewalk construction outside of the Office of Campus Recreation.

Many students did not use the existing sidewalk and wore a path through the grass.

To help the problem, contractors are realigning the sidewalk, so it veers north and south and so students will use it.

“We intend to erect some barriers and plantings in another week, so the kids will be forced to use the walk,” Murphy said.