Michigan staircase construction delayed due to weather

What used to cause a huge bottleneck by the 7th and Michigan gate during passing periods is finally being knocked down in exchange for a spacious staircase. Students were late to classes often due to the big clump of people waiting to go down three steps. This was one of the causes for the addition of two minutes to the passing periods.“A twenty foot wide staircase is being constructed that will provide adequate area for the volume of students,” SMMUSD Chief Operations Officer Cary Upton said.As a result of the construction, the pathway from the original 7th and Michigan gate is closed off, and is now occupied by tractors and debris. Unfortunately, due to bad weather and lots of rain, the workers have to postpone putting the cement in, making the process take a lot longer.“The frequency and spacing of the storms has delayed excavation and the pouring of concrete,” Upton said. “With this last storm passing and projections of more than a week of sunny days, we hope to be able to move the project forward and complete in the coming weeks.”Samo is home to many physically handicapped or injured people, who have had a very difficult time getting to classes from the history building to the innovation building. By not having good access to the crowded bottleneck, they were forced to go around the whole school, causing lots of unexcused tardies. If the school’s administration hadn’t have added an extra two minutes onto passing periods last year, many seniors this year would not be walking the stage at graduation as well.Senior Samo student Jack Hall (’17) said, “I think it’s such a good idea that Samo is building this and it will make a lot of students’ walks to class easier and shorter.”This construction taking place by the Michigan gate has caused another bottleneck to form adjacent to it, but in the future will make getting to class much more efficient.