Students can expect to see a few improvements around campus this semester as the University begins construction on several major renovation projects, including changes to residence halls in College-in-the-Woods, the Glenn G. Bartle Library and the surrounding area.
Already under construction are CIW’s Cayuga and Onondaga halls, where several of the suite-style dormitories are undergoing extreme renovations.
The construction, which involves both structural and design changes, is confined to four suites, two each in Cayuga and Onondaga. The rooms have been closed to residents since the renovations began over a year ago.
“We wanted to close them for a while,” said Rene Coderre, the assistant director of Residential Life, of the CIW suites.
Much of the renovation was prompted by severe drainage and plumbing issues, and expanded into “a whole gut-out process” of interior remodeling.
While the projected completion of the CIW suites is scheduled for Feb. 28, students eager to move in to the newly designed rooms may have to look elsewhere for fresh digs. The two suites in Cayuga are being revamped for handicapped accessibility, and the Onondaga suites, which are being built sans windows, will be converted into tour showrooms.
Larger-scale construction is currently underway in the Glenn G. Bartle Library, as the University’s plan for an Information Commons begins to take shape.
“The project involves relocating the Engineering [Building’s] PODS over to the Library,” said Karen Fennie, a spokeswoman for Physical Facilities.
The drastic functional and aesthetic overhaul of Bartle’s ground floor, which has been closed to students since the end of the fall semester, will house 130 computer workstations, in addition to specialized group presentation practice rooms. The Information Commons is projected to be completed by the end of February.
Also in the works are renovation plans for the area outside Bartle’s east entrance and the exterior plaza deck that sits between the Library, the Computer Center and the Engineering Building. The work is scheduled to begin by March of this year, pending the awarding of a contractor and subsequent budget review in Albany.
The extensive project, which was envisioned as a result of excessive water leakage, has already begun in sections below with minor construction and asbestos removal.
The renovation of the upper deck, which Fennie describes as “both a functional and aesthetic change,” will include all new materials and incorporate a new “water-proof membrane.”
As for complications regarding possible restriction of pedestrian traffic through the plaza deck, Fennie says Physical Facilities is still “working out phasing to allow for access to the library.”