West Village on the verge of anticipated debut

By Julia Ernst

When you walk into the lobby of one of the new West Village apartments, you may have to take a deep breath and remind yourself that you’re in a college residence hall rather than a hotel.

Though the buildings still smell of new paint, and there are miscellaneous bits of scrap wood and carpet lying around, the new residence halls are almost ready to open. Each unit in West Village is equipped with its own washer and dryer system and separate heating and cooling systems that students can individually control. And, rather than taking the stairs, you can ride up to your room in an elevator. There is one in each building.
Together, the two buildings that make up West Village Commons are composed of 12 double rooms with bathrooms, four three-person suites, 16 four-person apartments and 12 four-person suites.
The environmentally friendly buildings feature recycled carpet and cork, rather than linoleum flooring. Even the view from the windows is green — the apartments are set at the edge of the woods over by Maurer Gym.
Next year’s West Village residents even have their own power substation. In the event of a power outage, a generator has been installed next to the station that will keep the residence halls running.
According to Phil Voorhees, assistant vice president of Facilities Management, 18 of the apartments from both buildings have kitchens.
Each room will be furnished with a bed, wardrobe, desk and chair, according Voorhees and Dean of Students Anthony Campbell, which is the standard furniture for existing residence hall rooms. The living rooms of the apartments and suites will also be furnished.
Safety features for West Village include cameras at the entrances and inside the buildings.