Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
As we near the end of the academic year, I want to congratulate our graduating students as they finish their studies on campus. And to all our students, you should be proud of what you have achieved over the past year, under challenging circumstances. Our entire campus community came together to ensure students could have a residential experience and stay safe.
Into the summer months, Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) will begin new projects and continue to work on others that are ongoing to improve the student experience and our academic facilities.
Projects underway include the following:
119 Euclid Ave. ADA Improvements: Over this past winter, an exciting full renovation project was completed in 119 Euclid Ave., for the use of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The team has now turned to phase two of these improvements with the installation of a new elevator and renovation of an ADA accessible restroom on the first floor that is impacted by the elevator installation. These improvements will complete the building transformation for the fall semester.
113 Euclid Ave. ADA Improvements: In a joint effort with the 119 Euclid Ave. project, additional ADA improvements are also planned for 113 Euclid Ave. In 2020, the break room and the first-floor ADA restroom were renovated. This summer, the plan is to install a new elevator, with access to all three floors, as well as a new ADA entrance at the northeast corner of the building. The new entrance will include an ADA ramp with snowmelt, which is a system that provides heat to the sidewalk during weather events to melt snow and ice, keeping the pathway clear and safe. Additionally, a connecting sidewalk between Euclid Avenue and the College Place lot will be installed. This project is out to bid right now, as a package with the 119 Euclid Ave. work.
Campus Accessibility—Physical Access Plan: Annual funding has been allocated to address accessibility throughout campus. In July, project priorities will be identified and design will begin for projects that will occur throughout the year. Additional information will be shared regarding each planned improvement as the program is finalized.
Registrar Classroom AV Upgrades: The University’s Learning Environments group is scheduled to work in 37 registrar classrooms this summer replacing and upgrading the audiovisual systems in these spaces.
936 E. Genesee St. Roof Replacement: A roof replacement project is scheduled for this facility in June and July. CPDC staff are coordinating construction activities with staff in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.
Center for Science and Technology Lab 0-032 Modifications: The design for modifications to Lab 0-032 is underway to prepare the space for use by two new research faculty cluster hires, along with the shared use of Lab 0-036. Construction will take place over the summer and allows for research use in the fall.
Physics Building Primary Electrical Upgrades: A project is planned this summer to replace the Physics Building primary electric switch. It will improve electrical reliability and serviceability. The work is planned for late summer and a shutdown of building power will be required for completion.
Bird Library North Entrance Improvements: A site and building entry improvement project is currently in the final stages of the design process for the north side of Bird Library. The planned improvements include new entry sidewalks with snowmelt, a new vestibule and new entry doors. The north entrance will be closed during the work, and anyone accessing the building will need to use the south entrance.
College Place Crosswalk Paver Replacement: A project is planned to replace the diagonal crosswalks that cross College Place adjacent to the bus stop. This work will improve the safety of these heavily used crossings on our campus. The replacement will start in July. Brief closures of College Place will be required.
Huntington Beard Crouse Hall, Gifford Auditorium Power Upgrades: Upgrades are planned to the Gifford Auditorium electrical infrastructure this summer. The improvements will replace multiple electrical panels and wiring. Power will need to be disconnected in areas of the building but a buildingwide outage is not expected.
Site/Utility Project: CenTrio, the new Steam Station operator, is completing multiple site/utility projects on campus this summer, in coordination with CPDC.
- Quad Lot: The Quad Lot project will replace a large quantity of fiberglass reinforced condensate piping with stainless steel piping. This is part of an initiative across campus to replace aging fiberglass reinforced piping (FRP). The condensate replacement includes service to Heroy Geology Laboratory, the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics Complex, and Eggers Hall. Additional utilities are being replaced in the area, including chilled water to the Falk College. Finally, the site restoration will completely replace entrances to Eggers and Falk, including snowmelt. The work is extensive in this area and there will be multiple pedestrian detours throughout the summer, including closures to entrances at Eggers and Falk. There will be no vehicular access to the north side of the stadium during the summer.
- Forestry Drive: A large project along Forestry Drive will take place and include a new steam vault by the stadium loading dock and steam/condensate replacements to the stadium, Sadler Hall and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Baker and Illick halls. For this project, Forestry Drive will be closed throughout the summer, and there will be numerous pedestrian detours as the site footprint changes throughout the project. At the end of the summer, Forestry Drive will be repaved from the Barnes Center at The Arch west to the stadium loading dock.
- Raynor Avenue: As part of the effort to provide air conditioning to the stadium, a large-chilled water service will be installed at the southwest corner of the stadium, adjacent to Gate B. The chilled water piping will start in the Raynor Avenue Lot, along Henry Street and continue south into Raynor Avenue. The piping will head east up Raynor Avenue, across Irving Avenue and into the stadium. The work will require road closures. When the Raynor Avenue and Stadium Place intersection is briefly closed, the Irving Avenue Garage will have a modified traffic pattern (inlet only on Irving Avenue and outlet only on Stadium Place).
- Almond Street: Located on Almond Street between Toomey Abbott Towers and the Steam Station, this work will include a new steam vault and significant FRP condensate replacements. The project will also add an additional set of 24-inch chilled water pipes across Almond Street to provide additional system capacity for the stadium. The work in this area will require multiple road crossings, including several on Almond, Burt and East Taylor streets.
Stadium Renovations: The stadium renovation project continues this summer with site restoration in areas around the building. The former crane pad for Walt, on the west side of the building, is being removed. The restoration of this site includes the installation of two sets of concrete stairs from Irving Avenue up to Gate B and Gate C areas. The north stair construction is underway. At the south end of the site, a new chilled water piping entrance is being installed to feed chilled water to the southwest corner of the building as part of the air conditioning installation. Once the piping is installed, the south stairs will be constructed. Additional work is planned in Hendricks Field, south of Sadler Hall, to complete the expansion of a stormwater detention tank.
Schine Student Center Exterior Improvements: Renovations to the exterior of the Schine Student Center will begin after Commencement. These improvements will include modifications to the Waverly Avenue entrance and construction of a new patio on the Einhorn Family Walk side of the building. Improvements at the Waverly entrance will include concrete pavers with an integrated snow melt system and landscaping to better define the entry point. Construction of the new patio will include furniture and will provide additional seating for the Schine dining area. Work is scheduled to be complete by the start of the fall semester.
Winding Ridge NYSERDA Net Zero Project: CPDC staff are assisting a professor in the School of Architecture with a study, design and an energy retrofit of an eight-unit apartment building on South Campus. A cross-disciplinary team, including faculty from the School of Architecture, researchers from the College of Engineering and Computer Science and external consultants, are working on the project. The project includes student engagement, calibrating an energy model, design and construction of energy conservation measures, and exhibitions demonstrating project results and performance. Work commenced during winter break and will continue this summer. The retrofit construction is scheduled to occur in spring/summer 2022.
804 University Ave./111 Waverly Ave.: The programming and design of improvements to these buildings began earlier this year. Upgrades are planned to allow the University to relocate some units of Academic Affairs and Enrollment and Student Experience to these buildings. The project will relocate staff to these buildings to improve adjacencies and make room on campus for academic priorities in Steele Hall, Bowne Hall and the Women’s Building. More information will be shared with the campus community as the design is finalized.
Anechoic Chamber HVAC Improvements: Work will commence this month to replace the existing air handler unit that provides supply air to this facility. This is phase two of a two-phase project. Phase one included improvements to the heating system.
BEST Lab Modifications: CPDC is assisting the School of Architecture and College of Engineering and Computer Science’s research at the BEST Lab Facility on South Campus this summer. The BEST Lab facility was designed and constructed to be a living lab, a research tool to test building-related research. The current project explores integrated whole-building energy efficiency retrofit solutions for residences in cold climates.
Other upgrades across campus include the following:
- A project team is working on installing new replacement carbon monoxide detectors across campus.
- The sprinkler system at the Center for International Services will be upgraded.
- The retaining wall at the southeast corner of the soccer stadium will be replaced this summer. During construction, the Manley Field House driveway at the Skytop Road intersection will be closed.
- The Shaw Dining Hall grease interceptor will be replaced.
- A multi-phase window replacement project is underway at University College.
- Parking lot repairs are planned for the summer at Winding Ridge. Local closures of lots will be required.
- Work to restore the stone area at the Women’s Building Field has been completed. A project is currently underway to make repairs to the existing brick masonry retaining walls at the south end of the Women’s Building.
- Improvement projects to Lawrinson, Brewster Boland and Comstock garages are planned for the summer. There are no planned closures.
- Access and security equipment in the University Avenue Garage will be upgraded. The work will impact entrances to the garage but will not result in a garage closure.
- Repairs will be made to the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center patio and the structural supports this summer.
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 Site 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