August Construction Update

In just three weeks, the fall 2018 semester begins and the campus will be bustling with returning and new students. Whether you are back to campus or just beginning your time here, we hope you will appreciate the many new upgrades and construction developments around campus. All of the work is integral as we advance the many facets of the Campus Framework plan to enrich the Syracuse University environment.

Some summer projects are wrapping up while others are continuing. The following are highlights of the major work being done:

National Veterans Resource Center: Construction of the building foundation continues. The structural steel will be delivered and installed later this fall as the building begins to take form. Pedestrians and vehicular traffic are reminded to follow the signs in the area of construction. Sidewalks and travel lanes adjacent to the construction may be closed periodically throughout the duration of construction. A single lane of traffic will remain along South Crouse Avenue from Waverly Avenue to Marshall Street until spring 2019. You can monitor the progress at the NVRC website.

Archbold Gymnasium: Utility work on Sims Drive is proceeding on schedule. Sims Drive will be open to traffic on Aug. 18. Preparation work for the new foundation has started for the south end of the facility (Building C). Framing of the walls within the northern end of the facility (Building A) is nearly complete. We encourage you to keep up with the construction progress through the live webcam.

Walnut Park: In partnership with the City of Syracuse, new sidewalks and accessible ramps are being installed throughout Walnut Park to improve pedestrian access to campus. The sidewalks are scheduled to be complete this month. This work is the direct result of collaboration with students who shared great feedback on the need for these improvements.

Classroom and Accessibility Technology Updates:

• Technology updates in the seven Hall of Languages classrooms will meet our learning technology design standards for Syracuse University registrar classrooms.
• In addition, Information Technology Services (ITS) has nearly completed 23 registrar classroom technology updates.
• ITS continues to evaluate and implement Communication Access Real-time Translation solutions (CART) across campus. For more information on what is available, visit the CART Equipped Spaces webpage.

Crouse College and Maxwell Hall: Maintenance and masonry repairs for these two buildings is ongoing. Crouse College repairs will be complete in mid-August. The reinstallation of the brick and limestone corner blocks on Maxwell Hall will continue into September. The masonry contractor is working from scaffolding on the west side of Maxwell Hall. Any work taking place in the academic year will be coordinated with daily building activities.

Parking Area Maintenance: Concrete repair work in all of the garages will be substantially complete by the start of the semester. Some repair work in the garage stairwells may continue into early fall. Paving of parking lots is complete.

Campus Utility Upgrades:

• All utility upgrade projects will be significantly complete when students return. Some restoration work, including the installation of new site lighting, pavers and tree planting, may continue into September.
• Utility upgrades in the Q-1 parking lot are nearly complete. Restoration of the Q-1 lot is ongoing. Reinstallation of the concrete sidewalk along the north side of Heroy is complete. Replacement of the lighting, pavers and trees in the Q-1 lot will begin this month to create a consistent appearance throughout the lot.
• Hillside Lot improvements will be significantly complete by the start of the fall semester. Installation of new handrails will take place immediately upon delivery in early September.
• Utility work along University Place, from the entrance of the Hillside lot to Crouse Drive, is progressing slightly behind schedule. This work will be significantly complete by the start of the semester. New lighting and a security gate will be installed in early September.
• Existing steam and condensate lines and steam vault work is proceeding well along Forestry Drive in the area of the Sadler Circle and the Dome loading dock. This utility work is expected to be complete by Aug. 17. Restoration of the roadway and adjacent areas will continue into early September.

Hall of Languages Classroom Renovations: Phase two of a three-phase project will be complete next week. Similar to last year’s improvements on the east side of the building, five classrooms on the west side have received updated finishes, new HVAC systems and new classroom audio-visual technology. Next summer’s project, phase three, will include renovations and technology upgrades to the large lecture classrooms, rooms 107 and 20.

Residence Hall Improvements:

• Brewster Brockway Boland Plaza: Construction of the improvements to the plaza were slowed by rain in mid-July, but the project has made great strides this past week. This project includes the construction of an accessible ramp to Brockway dining, new pavers, landscaping and outdoor furniture. Construction will be significantly complete by the start of the academic year. Some final touches and landscaping will occur at the end of August and early September.

• Brockway Dining Hall: The full renovation of the dining and kitchen area will be complete by the end of the week. Improvements include updated finishes and new furniture. Food Services is in the process of commissioning the new kitchen equipment in preparation to begin serving additional food options this fall.

• Day Hall: Phase one of the student room renovations is complete. This work included installation of new flooring, wardrobes, doors and IT infrastructure in 161 student rooms. Phase two of the student room renovation will take place in the summer of 2019 and will include the same updates in the remaining student rooms in the building. Phase two of the bathroom renovation project is complete. These bathroom renovations created new accessible single-user restrooms and shower rooms throughout the building.

• Lyons Hall: Upgrades to student room finishes and the addition of new wardrobe closets and new lounge furniture are complete.

Physics Building: Construction has commenced for the new single-user accessible restroom on the first floor. Design of an additional single-user restroom in the subbasement is in design and will be constructed this fall.

Hendricks Chapel: HVAC improvements will continue throughout the fall and spring semester. All work will be coordinated with daily campus and building activities. The HVAC improvements include the addition of cooling to the chapel and is scheduled to be complete by May 2019.

Women’s Building: The Sibley Pool will be closed between Aug. 13-26 for the installation of a new ADA lift and starting blocks. A new scoreboard will be installed at a later date. The pool will be open for the first day of classes on Aug. 27. This improvement is a direct result of feedback from faculty, staff and students, and will make the pool more accessible and competitive for club swimming.

We also wanted to let the campus community know that the great team from FIXit 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.”

A full listing of summer construction projects is updated and listed by building on the Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) website. Please refer to this website periodically to see what is occurring across campus, and feel free to reach out to the CPDC manager assigned 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