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Steward Observatory creating new level to be used by federal agency

Joshua D. Trujillo Arizona Daily Wildcat Chad Lemley, a civil engineering senior, takes a short-cut through the Steward Observatory building on the corner of North Cherry Avenue and East Second Street. The building is being expanded for use by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

The UA is adding another level to the Steward Observatory, which will house development and design teams from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, a federal agency that will reimburse the university for the project.

The preliminary work, which began two weeks ago, will prepare the site for major construction later this semester.

Richard Marsh, construction project manager for University of Arizona Facilities Design and Construction, said the 10-month project is expected to finish in July.

Marsh also said that construction should not cause any problems for students and faculty.

"What you see right now will be all that will occur," he said.

Marsh added that because the Integrated Learning Center construction project has incorporated all of the space surrounding the Steward Observatory, 933 N. Cherry Ave., there will be no further traffic obstructions.

North Cherry Avenue has been reduced to serve southbound traffic only because of the ILC project. In order to exit the area, vehicles must travel east on East Hawthorne Street and then north on North Warren Avenue.

This has caused some confusion for faculty members who work at the observatory.

"We aren't happy with it (construction) because this part of campus is already very confusing," said Bill Tift, a Steward Observatory astronomer. "It will be difficult, but we still have our normal access to the building,"

The facility will also temporarily lose use of the rooftop observatory, which is for training.

The NRAO is a federally funded agency that has been leasing space at the Steward Observatory since 1987.

When finished, the new floor will house a team from NRAO that is designing the Millimeter Array Telescope.

The telescope, which will eventually be built in Peru, uses radio waves to attain images from space.

Tift said that while the university is funding the construction, the lease with NRAO will eventually reimburse the UA's money.

He added that when the lease is up, the floor will revert back to the Steward Observatory.

"There's really no cost to the university. It's a way to gain important services while not paying for it," Tift said.

While he raised concerns about the construction, he said that the staff at the observatory understands the long term ramifications.

"None of us are terribly pleased with the construction, but presumably the long term goals outweigh the current confusion," he said.