As the new academic year begins, we welcome new and returning students to our beautiful campus and wish everyone a great start to the fall semester. It has been a busy and productive summer for the Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) teams, working on the many projects across campus that are enhancing the University’s learning and living spaces.With the busy construction schedule, there have been various disruptions and inconveniences during different stages of the projects. I would like to thank each of you for your patience and cooperation.
Throughout the summer, I have sent out updates to keep the University community informed of the upgrades and construction. I wanted to share some of the highlights—both completed and still in the works—that you may encounter around campus.
Before I do that, I want to call your attention to one ongoing project that will continue to have an impact on the campus community. As you know, we’ve been busy transforming Archbold Gymnasium into the Barnes Center at The Arch, a new state-of-the-art health, wellness and recreation complex, scheduled to open in fall 2019. As The Arch project continues, access between The Arch and the Dome will remain closed until September 2019. I recognize this is an inconvenience, but I am confident our entire campus community will benefit greatly from this terrific new resource.
As you make your way across campus, some of the recently completed work you will notice includes:
Accessibility Improvements: Many accessibility improvements were made to residence halls, academic buildings and other campus facilities, including Brockway Plaza, Day Hall, Hall of Languages and Maxwell Auditorium. Various projects have included sidewalk improvements, curb cuts and door hardware replacements (replacing knobs with lever sets and installing power operators).
Residence Hall Improvements: Improvements to a variety of residence halls have included fully renovating the Brockway Dining Hall, bathroom renovations into single-user accessible restrooms at Day Hall, and refurbishing of student rooms at Day Hall and Lyons Hall.
Hall of Languages Classroom Renovations: Five classrooms have been updated with new finishes and upgraded with new AV technology. The remaining two auditoria will be renovated next summer.
Walnut Park: In partnership with the City of Syracuse, new sidewalks and accessible ramps were installed throughout the park to improve pedestrian access to campus.
Utility Infrastructure: This summer we continued extensive utility system renewal on aged stormwater, electrical, steam and chilled water systems that serve our campus facilities. This ensures that the restored sites on campus are improved as well.
Of course, much work continues. Highlights of the ongoing work include the following:
Hendricks Chapel: The chapel’s roof is in the process of being replaced, and work is underway on HVAC improvements, which are scheduled to be completed by May 2019.
National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC): Excavation for the NVRC building’s foundation was completed, and crews are pouring the concrete foundation walls. The structural steel will be delivered and installed later this fall as the building begins to take form. Check out the views from the construction camera and get the latest building updates on the NVRC website. The building is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
Women’s Building: Sibley Pool will be closed through Aug. 26 for the installation of a new ADA lift and starting blocks. The pool will be open for the first day of classes on Aug. 27.
Facilities Services: Over the summer, we also announced that the FIXit team is now part of Campus Facilities Administration and Services. The team, now known as Facilities Services, is responsible for all maintenance and custodial services in residence units and dining centers. This move will help streamline the process by which campus constituents request maintenance and improve response time. Community members in need of maintenance support will continue to dial 315.443.1234 to request maintenance service. They can also visit facilities.syr.edu and click on “request service.”
To read the May, June, July and August construction updates, visit campusframework.syr.edu.
A full listing of construction projects is updated and listed by building on CPDC website. Please refer to this website periodically to see what is occurring across campus, and feel free to reach out to the assigned CPDC manager with any questions you may have. For everyone’s safety, I encourage you to remain alert in work areas for route changes, follow the pedestrian signs, and visit the CPDC Impact/Road Closure webpage for additional information.
If you have any construction-related questions, comments or suggestions, please email cpdc@syr.edu. For parking concerns, call Parking and Transit Services at 315.443.4652.
If you have questions pertaining to accessibility, please contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services at 315.443.4018, ADA@syr.edu, or equalopp@syr.edu.
Sincerely,
Pete Sala
Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer