As construction of the on-campus stadium continues, project managers have been wary of trespassers on the active construction site. There have been several instances of trespassing, according to Daniel Loosbrock, the director of the stadium construction’s management firm, Icon Venue Group.
“There have been some occurrences where specific individuals have actually jumped the fence or made their way into the site and have been caught,” Loosbrock said.
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Icon Venue Group has reported several incidents of trespassing into the fenced-off construction site. The site has 24-hour private security and is patrolled by three security guards.
Since the fence around the construction was put up in May 2015, CSUPD has cited 15 people for trespassing on the new stadium site. 12 of these instances occurred in July and August of this year, said Kari Gonzales, the records manager for CSUPD. The six cases reported by CSUPD happened in July through September of this year.
An email was sent to the campus community by Vice President of Operations Lynn Johnson Sept. 14 reminding students that it is not acceptable to enter construction sites. This email was sent following CSUPD citing two people on Sept. 8 and one on Sept. 9 for trespassing.
The synthetic turf field will be laid down beginning in early December, according to Loosbrock, and will be completed in either April or May 2017.
“If there is anything that I can request, it is that students stay out of the site until they can come and see it, and I promise they won’t be disappointed,” Loosbrock said.
Fred Haberecht, the director of safety for Facilities Management, said safety at the site is a main concern. He said he does not want students putting themselves at risk.
“This is an active worksite, and concerns about the safety of the campus community is the reason why we have fences,” Haberecht said.
Both Hughes Stadium and the new on-campus stadium fall within Colorado State University property, which means tresspassing is handled and charged by CSUPD.
CSUPD does not keep track of whether the trespassing was committed by students or by other people in the community.
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Trespassing at Hughes Stadium has not historically been a big problem.
“Only one ticket has been issued since January, with 10 verbal warnings,” wrote Dell Rae Ciaravola, senior communication coordinator for CSU media relations, in an email to the Collegian.
These numbers include tresspassing cases on the grounds of Hughes, not just those inside the stadium. Reports of trespassing were lower overall in both 2014 and 2015, Ciaravola said.
Erin Krigger can be reached news@collegian.com.
