Outside Carmichael Hall plain, gray and white gravel covers the spot known as Carmichael Circle instead of the landscaping and brick paving that was slated to be installed this summer.
More than five months have passed since the scheduled starting date of the renovation project, and Ball State University officials said the holdup was because of delays in a key ingredient.
"The No. 1 problem is it took five months to get the bricks," Michael Planton, associate director of landscape and environmental management, said.
The plan for the circle is to lay bricks to give the area a better look, Planton said. Last spring, people could pay $20 to buy the right to have a message etched onto one of the bricks. A portion of the money from each brick went to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, while the rest went to help pay for the costs of the construction, he said.
The original starting date was May 15, Planton said in an earlier interview, but as of today the project has still not gotten under way. He said the producer of the bricks, Whitacre-Greer, was behind in its orders and the bricks were late to arrive. After they arrived they had to be shipped out again to be etched by a different company, he said.
Tri-County Builder's Supply was the middle man between Ball State and Whitacre-Greer.
"[Whitacre-Greer] is so far behind, it's ridiculous," Tri-County salesman Travis Riddle said.
An official from Whitacre-Greer said it's not rare for delays like this to occur. He said the company has many orders and it tries to complete them in the order they arrive.
"I hope they weren't surprised by that," Colby Dehoff, vice president of sales for Whitacre-Greer, said.
Dehoff said the company received the order in May and the bricks were delivered in August.
Planton said the project also was delayed while his department concentrated on finishing the landscaping on the north side of the renovated Scheumann Stadium, which was in turn delayed because of rain.
"We are 99.9 percent done with the stadium and as soon as we're done there we're going to start with this," he said.
When construction does begin, Planton said, it would take 10 to 12 days to complete, depending on the weather.
Originally, the renovations were possibly going to include a statue or some other sort of center piece; however, Planton said they have not pursued that at this time.
"It'll be something eventually, and I'll say this: It won't be a tree," he said.
Despite the delay, Planton said the project was needed.
"It's definitely worthwhile," he said. "That is one decrepit looking place."
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