Denton Quad to receive more outdoor seating, grills, tables

Denton Quad is scheduled to receive a facelift next year to increase safety, adhere to eco-friendly state requirements and create an outside common area for North Campus students, officials said.

During the $2 million project set to begin in March, an outdoor seating area with grills, tables and electrical outlets — much like Washington Quad — will be built in place of the green area between Easton and Denton halls. Renovations should be completed by next fall.

The Division of Student Affairs funded the project, and Vice President for Student Affairs Linda Clement said after Washington Quad became a popular hangout on South Campus, both the Department of Residential Facilities and the Resident Life Department requested a similar layout for the north side of the campus.

"Watching what's happened at Washington Quad is really gratifying," Clement said. "We're pleased with the way students have taken to using it — they love it."

Clement added that because Washington Quad became so popular after its redesign was completed three years ago, the success of a similar project on the opposite end of the campus is a "sure thing."

In addition to constructing new communal space, Facilities Management maintenance crews will also regrade Denton Quad's surface to drain stagnant puddles and install more security lighting — projects both designed to improve safety for Denton Community residents.

"There are several areas where there's ponding, which is a safety thing," said Bill Olen, interim director of Capital Projects. "Water sits, and it freezes."

In response to storm water management requirements, Facilities Management plans to install an eco-friendly bioretention area, which will allow rain water to slowly infiltrate the soil instead of flooding storm drains and surrounding creeks. State regulators are still determining the exact specifications for this new system.

"We're trying to address the requirements that are being modified as we speak," Olen said. "We're trying to be responsive."

Although residents of the Denton Community — which includes Denton, Easton, Elkton and Oakland halls — will likely most frequent the revamped space, Olen said it will also serve as a designated meeting area for students who live beyond the quad's borders.

"If I'm not a resident of the dorm, then I can say, ‘I'll meet you outside by the outdoor shelter,'" he said.

Several students said they would welcome the improved space and thought it could provide a spot to socialize with other residents.

"It'd be nice to have a place outside where we could get to know other people in the quad and hang out," sophomore kinesiology major Aisha Ahmad said.

Sophomore mechanical engineering major Taylor Drake said the gathering area would be a fresh, convenient alternative to the turf outside LaPlata Hall.

"We could play football somewhere else instead of in the small space outside or going to LaPlata beach," Drake said. "It'd be nice to have a place right outside where we could go."

Senior staff writer Yasmeen Abutaleb contributed to this article. foley@umdbk.com