Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
Congratulations to our 2019 graduates! It was another wonderful Commencement—a proud moment for our students, their families and friends, and our entire campus community. We hope it was a productive academic year for everyone. As we move into the summer months, the Office of Campus Planning, Design and Construction (CPDC) has started new projects to improve the student experience and our academic facilities, and continues on many more that have been ongoing.
Below are updates on many of the projects that crews are working on:
Crouse College Cupola Restoration: All three cupolas have been removed from the roof and placed in a fenced area on the west side of the building. The contractor will restore the cupolas on site before reinstalling them on the roof in August.
Eggers Hall Registrar Classrooms: Furniture and finishes are being updated in four classrooms in Eggers Hall. Rooms 012, 070, 111 and 113 will receive new furniture, carpet and paint.
Hall of Languages: The third year of classroom and auditorium renovations will be completed this summer. The tiered lecture spaces in rooms 107 and 207 will receive a complete renovation, including new auditorium seating, carpeting, paint, AV upgrades, and heating and cooling upgrades.
Hinds Hall ICE Box: The final design of a new space in Hinds Hall is complete and construction has begun. This project will create an additional 1,000 square feet of flexible program space on the second floor to support innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship in the iSchool. Construction will be completed in late fall.
Lyman Hall Lecture Hall Renovation: Renovations to the tiered lecture space in Lyman Hall room 132 have started. The renovations will include all new finishes, new seating and a new AV system. Construction will be complete in August.
Maxwell School Masonry: A multi-year masonry repair and restoration project has begun. A masonry investigation and repairs occurred last summer on the west side of the building, and that work will continue this summer. Over 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: Replacement of the existing glass block façade along the west side of the building is underway. The proposed work has commenced and is scheduled to be complete in late August.
Archbold Gymnasium/Barnes Center at The Arch: Site work around the perimeter of the building has begun. Improvements between The Arch and the south side of the Physics Building will create an at-grade entrance to both of these buildings upon completion. Installation of finishes and millwork is ongoing in Building A. Installation of the curtain wall (exterior glass) enclosure has commenced. Roof installation is complete on all portions of the building. Final mechanical, plumbing and electrical work continues in Building B. The pool installation in Building C is approximately 75 percent complete. The project is on schedule to be completed this fall. Progress on the project can be viewed on the construction webcam.
National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC): Delivery and installation of the curtain wall commenced on the east side of the building earlier this month. Installation of the exterior building enclosure will continue throughout the summer. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing work in the lower level mechanical room is approximately 50 percent complete. 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: The Schine Student Center renovation has commenced with the interior demolition of the renovation area. The bookstore and Goldstein Auditorium will remain open throughout the duration of 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.
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. Students, faculty, staff and visitors will begin to see new parking lot signs installed throughout the summer. Installation of the Phase 1 signs—campus parking lot signs and campus wayfinding signs—began on May 13.
Day Hall Student Room Renovations: Construction of this multiphase project will continue this summer with additional renovations to student rooms and to the student lounges on the first floor. Summer 2019 construction will be the final phase of this project. Upon completion, the three-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: This two-phase project will include new room layouts, furniture, flooring and other finishes. The first phase is scheduled for construction this summer and will include student room renovations on floors 6, 7 and 8, and updates to the first-floor lounges. Demolition on floors 6, 7 and 8 is now complete. The project is on track for completion in early August.
Dineen Hall Fourth-Floor Renovations: Construction is complete. The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) has relocated from Crouse-Hinds Hall to a new transformational space on the fourth floor of Dineen Hall. This new location will foster greater collaboration between the College of Law and BBI.
Hendricks Chapel: HVAC improvements, including the addition of air conditioning in the chapel, were completed in early May. The new system was operational for events in the chapel during Commencement weekend.
Lawrinson Hall Roof: The replacement of the Lawrinson Hall roof has begun. Work is scheduled to be completed in early August.
Utility Work:
· A chilled water main in the lawn area in front of Smith Hall will be extended to the building this summer for a future cooling project.
· A steam vault on the east side of the Stadium Lot is scheduled to be replaced this summer.
· Utility work along Forestry Drive in the vicinity of the stadium’s loading dock has started and is scheduled to be complete in early June. A separate project to relocate a steam vault at the intersection of Sims Drive and Forestry Drive has begun and will be completed in early August. The project will require a closure of Forestry Drive at the Sims intersection, which will last approximately two weeks in July. The University community will be informed of the dates and duration of the closure when they are confirmed. Please pay attention to the pedestrian detours noted and follow the directional signs.
· A steam vault and steam/condensate piping upgrades that support the University’s steam distribution system will be completed in the concrete sidewalk area between Link Hall and Shaffer Art Building. The work began immediately after Commencement and will be completed by August. Pedestrian access through this area from the College Place bus stop to the Shaw Quad will be maintained.
· A chilled water main replacement is being completed in the Brockway Lot, immediately west of Brockway Dining Hall and continuing north onto the adjacent property. The project will be completed in June.
Stadium Roof Project: Preliminary work has commenced for the roof project at the stadium. The contractor has mobilized to prepare a foundation pad for the crane on the west side of the building. 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 http://facilities.syr.edu/closures.
Adjacent to campus, the city is making significant progress on the proposed bike network project on Comstock and Waverly avenues. Asphalt pavement repairs and the replacement of sidewalk accessible ramps is approximately 75 percent complete. Work will continue down South Crouse Avenue in the coming weeks. 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 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