Front Gate closed temporarily this afternoon due to drainage issues in Regent House, the College has confirmed.
In an email statement to The University Times, the College Press Officer, Caoimhe Ní Lochlainn, said that “large rubber hoses” used to deal with the issue blocked pedestrian traffic. The gate has subsequently been re-opened.
Drainage company Dyno-rod was brought in to deal with the issue.
Front Square has undergone a dramatic aesthetic overhaul in recent times. In June 2018, one of the College’s two iconic Oregon maple trees collapsed in the middle of the night. A month later, Trinity decided to fell the second tree due to fears that it might collapse.
The trees arrived in Trinity in the mid-19th century. In an email to staff and students, John Parnell, the Chair of the Grounds and Gardens Advisory Committee, said: “It is a sad moment for us all, but most especially the staff of Estates and Facilities who had, along with Bartlett Consulting, worked so hard to prolong the life of the College’s Oregon Maples.”
Trinity also installed over 50 bike racks during last year’s summer months. At the time, the College Bursar, Veronica Campbell, told The University Times the move “aligns with Trinity’s sustainability strategy”.
Last summer, the College also installed cantilevered wheelchair lifts outside the Exam Hall and the Chapel. Speaking to The University Times, Declan Treanor, the project’s sponsor and director of the Disability Service, said Trinity was “doing something unique”.
“Trinity always try very hard to put the two together to make sure that we’re not destroying buildings, but also making them accessible”, he said.
Trinity has recently taken various steps to make the campus more environmentally friendly. The College trialled direct democracy to gauge student preferences on where to start the process of making Trinity plastic free. Plastic cups and straws will no longer be used in food outlets on campus.
After a long student-led campaign, Trinity divested from fossil fuels. Many institutions followed suit and this year the Dáil voted to divest.
