U of Windsor's new School of Creative Arts won't be ready in time for fall semester

The University of Windsor's School of Creative arts is delaying its move downtown.

The school is set to take over the former Armouries near the corner of University and Ouellette avenues, but the building won't be ready in time for the upcoming semester.

School president Alan Wildeman said people will understand why the extra time is needed when the building is unveiled to the public later in the fall.

"It's a very complex construction project," he said. "What we're doing in the Armouries is particularly extraordinary. We were hoping it would be done by September, but they need a little bit of extra time."

Official opening expected in November

Students will study at the existing facilities at the university's main campus while work at the downtown site continues.

"While this delay is disappointing, it will ensure that student activities are not disrupted, and that the new buildings will be fully tested and operational for the January 2018 semester," according to a statement from the school.

Staff sold off some old school supplies this summer as they prepared for a new space come September, but they always maintained a contingency plan just in case of a delay, explained Vincent Georgie, director of the School of Creative Arts.

"The team has pulled together and is really working around the clock just to pull it all together and get a sense of what the classes will look like, the room look like," he said.

Second-year music student Allesandro Rotondi hopes he can refund his parking pass, which he bought for the new downtown location.

"They changed the parking regulations to one lot on the main campus and the entire downtown campus," he said. "I'm hoping we can exchange it."

The school is working on a parking plan to accommodate any disruptions caused by the delay, Georgie said. Those updates should be announced soon.