Welcome back to Athens – notice anything different?

But OU, the city of Athens and a number of businesses around town have made a variety of other changes over the summer as well.

On campus, Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for facilities, said that he is pleased with the new roundabout and the city's cooperation with the university throughout construction.

"I think the result is beautiful both physically and functionally," he said.

Wyatt said the Jeff Hill project is another example of good cooperation between the university and the city. He said the chilled water line infrastructure the university installed will prepare it for the upcoming Scripps College of Communication project, which will be located in the old Baker Center on Union Street and take place over the next several years.

The university has had some considerable work taking place on West Green over the summer as well, Wyatt said. The entire main quad will be completely re-landscaped by the time work is finished, he said. A number of utility lines run under the green, he said, and much of the work that has been done involves replacing water and sewer lines in that area.

"The water and sewer line work has been completed," he confirmed.

While the contractor will still be doing some work here and there, the primary focus now will be planting that won't be finished until October because that is the optimal time to do so.

"We will be putting in some significant trees there," he said.

Some other highly visible construction, Wyatt said, is the renovation of the old Sigma Chi house on Park Place. That project isn't slated to be finished until January 2011. The $2.3 million renovation was funded in part through a $2 million gift from alumni Robert and Margaret Walter. The site will be used for the new offices of Education Abroad, currently located on the first floor of Lindley Hall, and International Student and Faculty Services, currently located on the third floor of Baker Center. The building will have a new elevator and stair tower, Wyatt said, in addition to a complete rehabilitation.

Repair work on various campus buildings has also been underway, Wyatt said. This includes painting and roof repair of Voigt Hall, and renovation of several rooms in Bromley Hall.

AROUND THE CITY OF Athens, businesses have been changing, expanding, renovating, leaving and coming back.

On Court Street, the old 19 South (and Evolution before that) bar is being turned into GG's Bubble Tea, and owner John Baird said he expects it to be open for business next week. Bubble Tea, originally from Taiwan, is usually a cool, refreshing, sweet drink with tapioca pearls sitting at the bottom. The store will also offer coffee, cappuccino and snacks, Baird said.

"We plan on having Friday Night Fights on the Wii, and a foosball table and maybe an open mic night one time a week," Baird said. A John Madden football league on the Wii is also a possibility, he said.

Where Coldstone Creamery on North Court Street used to be, the owners of Donkey Coffee are putting in a new bakery called Fluff. An opening date is not yet known.

A sign on the door reads, "Life is fun, eat it up... Coming soon Fluff Bakery and Catering featuring cookie sammies, mini cheesecakes, booty shaker bars, sandwiches served on house-baked bread and seasonal sides."

The Pigskin Bar & Grill on North Court Street has gone through some extensive renovation over the summer.

"We gutted the place," confirmed owner Rick Wasserman on Wednesday. "There's nothing that's not new."

All the plumbing and electric is new, he said, as is the bar. The bathrooms are completely redone; the air conditioning is refurbished; the seating is all-new; the roof has been raised; and the storefront has been completely renovated. Wasserman said the new storefront is a huge aesthetic improvement on the street.

The area has also expanded by 750 square feet because Bali Karma, which used to occupy the space next door, decided not to renew its lease, allowing the Pigskin to take over that area. The most noticeable aspect of the renovated Pigskin is how open it is.

"There used to be a lot of walls cutting this space up, and we eliminated all that so we could make this one big open space," he said. The sidewalls were stripped down to brick, Wasserman recounted, and the whole aesthetic of the business was made to match.

The bar was open last weekend for the return of OU students, and Wasserman said that the kitchen is expected to open next week. The Pigskin will be a full-service restaurant, he said, with servers and a simplified menu.

"We'll also be adding really high-quality steak," he said. "This is going to be the place for steak in southeast Ohio, the best steak you've ever had in Athens, for sure."

Out on East State Street, a new physical rehabilitation facility has moved into the old Hollywood Video building, and Goody's Department Store, which left Athens in 2009, is slated to make a return to the same spot it formerly occupied in the old University Mall (now called The Market on State). The store is reportedly slated to be open by Sept. 23.

Also on East State Street, where Bennigans used to be located, a Leghorn's is going to take over. Currently, a Leghorn's is located in Heath, Ohio, and Shade on the Canal in Canal Winchester features the same menu and same ownership, although the name is different.

Leghorn's owner Greg Powers said Tuesday that his restaurant will provide a fun and friendly atmosphere perfect for customers of all age and stripe.

"We have a fun, energetic staff and take a lot of pride in our food," he said. "We don't cut any corners on anything. Attention to detail is very important.