2008 Woodie Awards
First Cove apartment units to be completed by January
Julie Williams
Issue date: 8/17/08 Section: News
The grand opening of an innovative Kirksville housing development has been put on hold for a few more months thanks to inclement summer weather.
The Cove, a housing development that will include such amenities as a pool, hot tub, fitness center, game room and tanning beds was scheduled to be partially constructed in time for students to move in this month. Brandt Stiles, president of the Cove, said 10 units will be ready in January and that the other 51 will be ready by August 2009.
"We had five houses full, about 20 residents," Stiles said of the situation this semester.
Those residents were asked to fill out applications to reserve their living space instead of leases because of the possibility that the housing units would not be done on time. Stiles said applicants were informed about a month ago that their units would not be ready for this semester.
"We have assisted them in finding new places for the school year," he said.
The students who were scheduled to move into the Cove apartments for this semester were to receive discounted rates as a pre-construction special. Stiles said the students who had signed up for fall 2008 housing now will have highly discounted rates for next year to account for the inconvenience.
Stiles said the flooding in Kirksville pushed the project back so far that he wasn't sure it could be constructed on time, so he made the decision to push the date back in case the houses couldn't be finished.
"It was more of a risk than we wanted to take," Stiles said of trying to complete the project in a shortened amount of time to get done for the start of the semester.
Stiles said the clubhouse will be open by mid to late October and that about 10 units will be ready by January, both in time for use during the spring semester.
Sophomore Amanda Tharp was scheduled to live in the Cove this semester but will instead find herself in the residence halls for at least one more semester.
"I had already signed up for the dorms, and I wasn't going to withdraw from them until I knew it was definitely going to be done," she said.
Tharp said all signees were asked to have a back-up plan, which is something she said she didn't mind doing, especially since she was told far in advance of this school-year.
"They didn't know at the time of the application if they were going to be done yet so they didn't have us sign anything," Tharp said.
She also said she is not upset with the delays.
"It was kind of uncontrollable for them," she said.
If units are available in time for next semester, Tharp said she is still interested in moving right in.
The Cove, a housing development that will include such amenities as a pool, hot tub, fitness center, game room and tanning beds was scheduled to be partially constructed in time for students to move in this month. Brandt Stiles, president of the Cove, said 10 units will be ready in January and that the other 51 will be ready by August 2009.
"We had five houses full, about 20 residents," Stiles said of the situation this semester.
Those residents were asked to fill out applications to reserve their living space instead of leases because of the possibility that the housing units would not be done on time. Stiles said applicants were informed about a month ago that their units would not be ready for this semester.
"We have assisted them in finding new places for the school year," he said.
The students who were scheduled to move into the Cove apartments for this semester were to receive discounted rates as a pre-construction special. Stiles said the students who had signed up for fall 2008 housing now will have highly discounted rates for next year to account for the inconvenience.
Stiles said the flooding in Kirksville pushed the project back so far that he wasn't sure it could be constructed on time, so he made the decision to push the date back in case the houses couldn't be finished.
"It was more of a risk than we wanted to take," Stiles said of trying to complete the project in a shortened amount of time to get done for the start of the semester.
Stiles said the clubhouse will be open by mid to late October and that about 10 units will be ready by January, both in time for use during the spring semester.
Sophomore Amanda Tharp was scheduled to live in the Cove this semester but will instead find herself in the residence halls for at least one more semester.
"I had already signed up for the dorms, and I wasn't going to withdraw from them until I knew it was definitely going to be done," she said.
Tharp said all signees were asked to have a back-up plan, which is something she said she didn't mind doing, especially since she was told far in advance of this school-year.
"They didn't know at the time of the application if they were going to be done yet so they didn't have us sign anything," Tharp said.
She also said she is not upset with the delays.
"It was kind of uncontrollable for them," she said.
If units are available in time for next semester, Tharp said she is still interested in moving right in.
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