Matthew Hazlett/ The Towerlight

The majority of the construction projects on campus, including a path and stair project connecting the University Union and Smith Hall, are on schedule.

Scott Guckert, director of construction services, said when the path is completed, there will once again be a direct, convenient route to the main door of the University Union.

Construction on the university’s new Public Safety Building began in late spring of 2012 and is also on track to be finished February 2013, Guckert said.

Located on the north side of Towsontown Boulevard, the building will be across the street from Burdick Hall and the new campus entrance.

“The two-story Public Safety Building will contain office and support space for Towson University’s Office of Public Safety, which includes the Police Department and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety,” as described by a page on Towson University’s website.

Ward and West Halls, which were formerly student housing, are being repurposed to house the counseling center and the student health center respectively.

Some utilities and services must be upgraded for the buildings to serve their new purposes, Guckert said. An underground pipe to supply chilled water for the building’s air conditioning will run from the university power plant to the buildings this summer.

The Ward and West Halls project is scheduled to take 12 months.

Construction will continue on Newell and Richmond Halls through the fall 2012 semester.

Work will continue on the exterior of the buildings and construction will begin on a plaza behind the Halls this summer.

No new major projects will begin until spring 2013, Guckert said.

Work on the Tiger Arena’s roof started in mid-June.

Tiger Arena, described as “the best basketball facility in the mid-Atlantic” on tigerarena.com, will be the future home to Towson basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball. The Arena is still on schedule to open in August of 2013.

In addition to Tiger Arena, Johnny Unitas is also under construction, and is being fitted with new turf, known as FieldTurf Revolution. The new turf will hold the color better, will be more durable and will provide the opportunity for Towson Athletics to update the graphics on the field, according to the Towson Athletics website.

As of June 21, the field was still under construction, according to FieldTurf’s website.