Felix Balderas 
EDINBURG – The Edinburg UTRGV campus will soon add a new ‘hangout’ spot for students as part of a drainage improvement project that started in April of 2020.
Juan Carlos Ortiz, a university architect, explains that the budget allowed for his team to make changes to the drainage system in place on the campus.
“What we wanted to do was address that issue of flooding with the funds that we had available and at the same time create a more student-friendly space so we can try to increase on-campus activities and opportunities to hang out,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz put a team together, a focus group, including campus stakeholders, people from student government, student organizations, staff, and administrators to brainstorm for the development of the quad area on the Edinburg campus.
Ortiz adds that the new space will have barbeque grills, a staging area, an open lawn, tiered seating, and overall, a much friendlier exterior space for students to experience.
Gustavo Moreno, project superintendent, spoke to KVAQ-TV about some student concerns and frustration over the detours on campus.
“We are protecting them and us too, but in the next 3 months everything is open, and you can see the difference, and then everybody can enjoy this,” shared Moreno.
The project has faced minor delays but is expected to be completed by Spring 2023.
