External parts of Brooklane Village, located northeast of campus, are beginning to look aged and outdated. Residents have not had any problems in the interior of their apartments, but hope to see some change come to the affected areas in the exterior of the complex, such as road repairs.

According to sophomore and biology major Julianna Gainer, the road going through the complex is in bad shape, which makes the drive unpleasant for residents.

“The road is very bumpy and has holes and cracks,” Gainer said.

Residents have been receiving flyers promising repairs to the complex for the last couple weeks; however, any actual repair work appears to be limited. According Gainer, the flyers indicate that the parking lots will be repainted. No flyers have indicated anything about the road being fixed soon.  

According to The Washington Bid Network, which shows reports of building quality, the exterior of the Brooklane apartments needs to be renovated as well. The most recent report was made on Sept. 9 and stated: “upgrade exterior trim and siding on 182 housing units, located in 65 buildings on the campus. Additive Alternate includes entry deck replacement and metal roofing prep and painting.”

The most recent upgrade that Brooklane Village received was the expansion of the Early Childhood Learning Center, which provides childcare for students who attend CWU and is located within the apartment complex.  This upgrade occurred between 2015 and 2017 and was made possible with the money the state legislature set aside in the 2015-2017 biennium for the specific purpose of expanding the center. According to the CWU Master Plan, this “added a multipurpose modular facility for indoor recreation space and afterschool classroom space, an audio-video system and key-card access for enhanced security.” Since then, Brooklane hasn’t received any large renovations.

In the 2019-2029 CWU Master Plan, north and east parts of campus have several changes coming, but roadwork is not included.

The school will “plan for undeveloped parcels of land, renovate Nicholson Pavilion, renovate airport facilities, controlling flooding and increase daylighting on Wilson Creek, renovate or replace student housing, re-engineer and landscaping parking areas, [and] create an arts neighborhood/complex that brings all arts programs in closer proximity to one another,” according to the plan document.

The Master Plan does not state anything specific about which housing areas will be renovated or replaced. With this being the case, the residents of Brooklane Village will simply have to wait and see what is in store for future repairs.