Wondering what the construction behind the baseball field is for? Are you hoping it’s more on-campus parking? Well go ahead and let those hopes down, because Lipscomb is transforming the area into a pond with a fountain to enhance the look of the university.
“I do a lot of visiting to campuses across the nation, and I noticed that a lot of campuses have water features, and we have a lack of water features on campus. So I told Dr. Lowry that I thought that it would make a great pond,” said Tom Wood, Director of Campus Enhancement.
Walkways, picnic tables, an iron fence and landscaping will eventually be added around the pond to create a child-friendly environment open to the surrounding neighborhoods. The fountain will shoot 30 feet in the air, and administration is discussing whether or not to add fish.
“It will be a nice gathering area for students and neighbors,” Wood said. “It will be a great enhancement to the university, so I think it’s something that we will be very pleased with.”
The area is not officially named yet, but Wood suggests holding a contest and letting students submit name ideas.
“Right now I call it Lake Lipscomb, but maybe we should let the students decide,” Wood said.
The pond will still meet 100 year flood levels, so Granny White will not be flooded if a heavy rain comes.
Phase two of this construction will be adding a combined fountain and baptistry to the middle of Bison Square. Wood is hoping to break ground by next summer.
Students have been very vocal about what enhancements they would like to see added to the new pond and fountain. Here are the top ten things they hope to use the pond for:
- A baptistry
- Ice skating in the winter
- A lap pool
- A giant chocolate fountain
- To bathe in when the dorm showers are full
- A lazy river
- Paddle boats
- The new home for the Peabody ducks in Memphis
- Add a diving board
- A place to lay out in the Spring
What would you like to see “Lake Lipscomb” used for?