As students returned to campus after the summer break they were greeted by a new sight in the quad, directly in front of the Library on the West Windsor campus, two white gazebos.
When asked about the addition of gazebos Dr. Jianping Wang, the President of Mercer County Community College said: “this is our overall efforts trying to beautify the campus.”
Dr. Wang says the goal is to create a relaxing and de-stressing space for students.
Originally, a Landscape Design class was working on a project to update the quad. Halfway through the planning of the layout, however, Professor Amy Ricco, Coordinator of Ornamental Horticulture and Plant Science of 22 years says Mercer went ahead and ordered the gazebos.
Professor Ricco says, “We were, then we weren’t involved…Our opinion wasn’t taken into consideration.”
Professor Ricco says she and her students originally suggested pergolas instead of gazebos so there would have been multiple sitting areas for students. Pergolas have a more open, square or rectangular form with a cross beam rather than covered roof.
According to Horizon Landscape, in their web post “Pergola or Gazebo: Best Fit for Your New Jersey Outdoor Living Space,” the design of pergolas “allows plants and vines to climb up the structure.” Gazebos have a domed roof “since the shape of the gazebo is round,” which is good for air circulation but may be more prone to drainage problems as rainwater will ring the roof.
Joshua Johnson, the leader for the gazebo project says the space around the center of the campus was previously “unusable” due to drainage issues and dropping limbs.
Apparently, two gazebos that were near the East parking lots were taken down in 2016 and 2017 due to the gazebos “structurally failing” according to Bryon Marshall the Director of Facilities, College Safety and Security.
Students are definitely congregating in the new gazebos and using them as a social space, however, some students aren’t enthusiastic. Kierra Kerns, a Forensic Science major, “They stupid. I like the trees better.”
