UW-Madison students met with representatives from the university and construction companies Wednesday to discuss the demolition and reconstruction of the Crew House on Babcock Drive.
Students living on the lake shore said they were concerned about noise, dust and safety at the construction site.
While noise on a construction site is inevitable, construction representatives said they put limitations in place to minimize the effect of noise on residents.
Noisy construction does not begin until 10 a.m. daily out of respect for students in lakeshore dorms, the athletic department representative said.
A housefellow from Schlichter said her residents have complained about dust from the demolition process entering their rooms. Other residents said they were dissatisfied with the design of the new Crew House terrace.
\The new building seems closed off to the public,"" Kronsage Housefellow Nathan Schwantes said. ""I liked to go up [on the Crew House terrace] and read a book or watch the sun set.""
David Ewanowski, the project architect, said the terrace and another community room would be open to the public, but they must be reserved in advance.
Students also voiced concern about the eight-foot fence surrounding the construction site.
According to lakeshore residents, some students returning from bars have climbed the fence.
While no injuries have resulted yet, housefellows said they see the potential for accidents to occur in the future.
University representatives said they would take this into concern, perhaps by providing a larger fence or surrounding the fence with reflective tape.
Despite these concerns, administrators are trying to accommodate students' lives during the construction process.
""[The construction crew] is trying to be proactive concerning students,"" Ewanowski said.
University representatives said the construction is necessary to serve the growing number of students using the facility.
Constructed in 1967, the Crew House, which originally held 60 to 70 students, now must accommodate more than 250 students, according to Ewanowski.
""Largely because of the womens' crew, we need more space,"" Ewanowski said. ""There are boats sprinkled all through the city as well as at parks. We wanted to get the boats back in one place.\
