As the end of the spring semester is here and graduation is a short few days away, I wanted to update the campus on what will be going on, construction-wise, during the summer months.
It is anticipated that all work will begin shortly after graduation unless otherwise noted:
1) Higbee/Lang/Williams Bathrooms — Bathrooms in Higbee, Lang and Williams will be replaced. These bathrooms — some of which are original to the buildings — will be completely gutted and replaced with new fixtures, plumbings, wall treatments and shields. Work is anticipated to begin on Monday, May 23. At this time, it is planned that work in Higbee and Lang will be completed before work commences in Williams. All work is scheduled to be completed before the start of fall classes.
2) McDonough Field House/Ice Rink — Work to be performed in the McDonough Field House will include complete replacement of the drop down curtains that separate the basketball courts from the track. In addition the entire field house will be repainted. This work will begin in late June, after graduation ceremonies are held there for the EOC and several local high schools. In the Conway Ice Rink, it is anticipated that all of the light fixtures will be replaced with new low energy fixtures. Again, as in the field house, the entire ice rink will be repainted. We expect work in the ice rink to begin shortly after the college’s graduation and we expect to work around the high school and EOC graduations in order to keep the work on track to be completed prior to the start of fall semester classes.
3) Academic Quadrangle — The main academic quadrangle located between Higbee, Lang, Amstuz, Guenther and the Campus Center will be completely reconstructed beginning Monday, May 23. This project will result in a completely rebuilt quadrangle including new sidewalks, new flagpole podium, new landscaping and grassy areas, rain gardens and new seating walls, and is planned to be finished in time for fall semester classes.
As this is an extremely aggressive project, it is expected that a major disruption to pedestrians will exist. Signs will be posted and construction fencing will be erected to prevent anyone from wandering through the construction site. The work will not directly interfere with building entrances, but there may be some time-to-time detours as we rebuild some of the entrance sidewalks that enter directly to the construction area.
I would like to note that a time capsule is contained in the original podium that was sealed at the dedication of the existing campus in 1961. This time capsule is to be removed and will be placed on display on campus until 2013 when it will be opened in conjunction with the college’s 60th anniversary celebrations. A new time capsule will be placed in the new flagpole podium.
4) New Science Center — The bids for the new science center will be opened by the college on July 8. While we do not expect any work to occur prior to Sept. 1, there may be some limited work occurring as classes resume in the fall. The site of the new building is located west of Brahan Hall and once work begins, the current parking lot located there will be cordoned off from further use and the Visitor’s Lot will be partially restricted for construction staging. As we get closer to the beginning of construction more information regarding the parking lot and pedestrian access will be distributed to the campus community.
5) Marvin Library Renovations — We will be embarking on a project in the library which will begin this summer and continue through part or most of the next school year. This summer’s work will include extending the existing concrete floor slabs of the first level of the building to the exterior walls in three locations and preparing to construct a new entrance to the building. This work will be extremely noisy and dirty and therefroe we wanted to get it completed over the summer months when the usage of the building is at a minimum. The larger more extensive project will be introduced to the campus community in the fall.
As in past years, we have a very busy construction season coming up and we ask your cooperation in adhering to any signs posted which will change your normal, daily activities. We strive to keep everyone safe on campus and ask your cooperation in making that happen. Safe travels throughout campus and again as always, I am sorry for any inconvenience this work will cause.
Steve Cowan
The following is an update of summer construction projects and how they may effect life on campus this summer.
Published: Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000 by s.cowan