Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
With students arriving on campus in a month, we are making substantial progress on the many construction projects at the University. Our crews are working hard to ensure we meet deadlines on residence hall renovations and academic building updates so the start of the academic year will be a seamless transition for our new and returning students. We are especially looking forward to the opening of the Barnes Center at The Arch and having students experience the wonderful new facilities and programs offered at the state-of-the-art health and wellness complex. It will be an exceptional space for students and the entire campus community to enjoy.
Below are many of the projects that are taking place across campus:
Day Hall Student Room Renovations: Construction is nearing completion. Work is complete on floors five through eight, and work is 80 percent complete on floors two through four. Painting has begun on the new student lounge on the first floor. This summer’s construction is the final phase of the project. Upon completion, this multi-phase project will provide students with updated single-user accessible restrooms throughout the building, renovated student rooms on all floors and an updated lounge on the first floor.
DellPlain Hall Student Room Renovations: Improvements are nearing completion on floors six through eight and on the new ground floor student lounge that will include three new team rooms. The renovations are scheduled to be complete in early August. This two-phase project will include new accessible room layouts, furniture, flooring and other finishes. The scheduled work for next summer will complete the improvements on floors one through five.
Campus Wayfinding and Building Signage: A working group of University representatives is overseeing a phased Campus Wayfinding and Building Signage project. This project includes exterior campus wayfinding and building signage, digital wayfinding, arrival signage to identify campus gateway entrances, interior building signage, and wayfinding and donor recognition signage. New parking lot signs have been installed. Students, faculty, staff and visitors will begin to see new wayfinding signage installed in August followed by new building identification signs.
Eggers Hall Registrar Classrooms: Four classrooms in Eggers Hall, rooms 012, 070, 111 and 113, have received new finishes. New carpeting has been installed, and painting is complete. New furniture will be delivered by the end of this month.
Hall of Languages: Renovation work is 75 percent complete in rooms 107 and 207. The renovations will provide new auditorium seating, carpeting, paint, classroom technology upgrades, and heating and cooling upgrades. This work represents the third and final year of renovating all instructional space in the Hall of Languages.
Hinds Hall ICE Box: Work began at the end of May to create an additional 1,000 square feet of flexible program space on the second floor to support innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship in the School of Information Studies. The work is approximately 50 percent complete. The proposed project will also include updates to the café area, which is scheduled to be done by the end of August. Construction of the ICE Box will be completed in late fall.
Maxwell School Masonry: Masonry repairs on the west side of the building are 50 percent complete. The work includes the replacement of the roof on the auditorium wing in August. The masonry repairs will continue until early fall. During the next three years, an additional side of the building’s masonry will be repaired and restored each summer.
Shaffer Art Building Glass Block Façade: The existing glass block façade replacement project along the west side of the building is approximately 70 percent complete. Installation of the new glass began this month and will continue through August.
Archbold Gymnasium/Barnes Center at The Arch: The health and wellness portion of the facility is significantly complete. The Counseling Center and Health Services staff members have begun moving into the building. The contractor is focusing on completing the Recreation Services portion of the building and the site work around the perimeter of the building. In the next few weeks you will see significant work completed outside of the building, including sidewalks, landscape pavers and site lighting. New curbing along Sims Drive between The Arch and Flanagan Gym will begin this week. Interior ceilings, floor finishes and painting is occurring throughout the building. The project is on schedule to be completed for the fall semester. Progress on the project can be viewed on the construction webcam.
National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC): Significant progress has been made through the summer. Work on the building envelope continues. Installation of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems is occurring throughout the building. The interior of the building is beginning to take shape as the interior walls are framed. The project is on schedule for a January 2020 opening. Pedestrians and drivers are reminded to follow the signs in the area of construction. A single lane of traffic will remain along South Crouse Avenue from Waverly Avenue to Marshall Street through this summer. You can monitor the progress at the NVRC website and live webcam.
Schine Student Center Renovation: Interior demolition of the renovation area has commenced. The Bookstore and Goldstein Auditorium will remain open throughout construction. Information on where to find relocated offices and services during the renovation can be found in this SU News story. The project, identified as a key component of the Campus Framework, will enhance the student experience by creating new gathering spaces, improved facilities for student services and a new dining experience. More information on the project can be found on the SU News website.
Crouse College Cupola Restoration: The contractor is in the process of restoring the cupolas on the west side of the building. Restoration work includes repair of the wood structure and replacement of the slate shingle roof and copper cladding. Upon completion of the restoration work, the cupolas will be reinstalled on the roof in September.
Lawrinson Hall Roof: The replacement of the Lawrinson Hall roof is significantly complete. The contractor will return to complete some minor work by the end of this month.
Utility Work:
· Reconstruction of a steam vault on the east side of the Stadium Lot is 90 percent complete. The contractor is in the process of restoring the site and repaving.
· The steam vault reconstruction at the intersection of Sims and Forestry drives is significantly complete. Forestry Drive has reopened. Construction will continue until mid-August.
· A steam vault and steam/condensate piping upgrades in the sidewalk area between Link Hall and Shaffer Art Building are 80 percent complete. As the contractor completes this work, the fencing and pedestrian paths may change daily. Pedestrian access through this area from the College Place bus stop to the Shaw Quad will be maintained.
Stadium Roof Project: Preliminary work has commenced for the roof project at the Stadium. The contractor has begun to mobilize the large crane on the west side of the building. Steel bracing and other preparatory work has started around the perimeter and on the ring beam of the facility. Installation of the steel crown roof truss will begin in the fall. Modifications to the pedestrian route from Sadler and Lawrinson halls to Main Campus have been established. Pedestrians should observe and follow signage. For additional information regarding the pedestrian route, visit the site impact and closures webpage. Please also note that the Stadium is closed to walkers due to construction activities around the building. Alternative walking options are available at Manley Field House and Skytop Track this summer.
Nancy Cantor Warehouse Renovations: Renovations have occurred during the summer to create new space for the Office of Community Engagement and the Division of Marketing and Communications. The Office of Community Engagement is scheduled to move into new office space on the ground floor by the end of this month. Construction has started to create a new community meeting room in the previous café location. Construction of the new café located on the first-floor adjacent to the Washington Street entrance is approximately 70 percent complete. This new café space is scheduled to be complete for use by the start of the fall semester. Improvements to the fourth floor recently commenced to create additional space for marketing and communications staff later this fall.
Adjacent to campus, the City of Syracuse has completed a majority of the work on the Bike Network project. Asphalt paving is complete along Comstock, Waverly and South Crouse avenues. The city has completed the sidewalk and accessible ramp repairs, and it has begun to apply new paint markings to these streets. Students, faculty and staff will return to campus at the end of the summer with improved access to campus and new bike lanes on both sides of the street along Comstock and Waverly avenues.
A full listing of construction projects is updated and listed by building on the 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 project manager with any questions you may have. For everyone’s safety, I encourage you to remain alert in work areas, watch for route changes, heed construction flagger directions and follow the pedestrian signs. 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 Campus Facilities Officer