The Binghamton University campus will see several construction and renovation projects this coming fall, including two major projects in the University Union basement and Hinman College.
The Student Association E-board announced at the annual State of the SA address, held in November 2018, that the $2 million University Union basement renovation will begin in summer 2019, continuing into the fall semester. Aspects of the project include replacing some walls with sliding glass walls, opening space in the bowling area and combining the billiards room, table tennis room and hallway.
Private study spaces will be implemented amid the social scene, with new furniture that was voted on by students in November 2018. Overall, the goal of the renovation is to make the space more student-friendly, according to Jerry Toussaint, the 2018-19 SA president.
“The basement project looks to change the dungeon-like feel of the University Union basement,” Toussaint said. “To create more of a see-and-be-seen space for students, similar to the Marketplace and University Unions at other universities.”
Another upcoming project is the Hinman College Dining Hall and Cleveland Hall resident building reconstruction. Both buildings will be out of commission for the entirety of the 2019-20 academic year.
According to the Physical Facilities page on the official BU website, plans for the project include adding a three-floored, 26,500-square-foot addition to the dining hall and a complete redesign of the interior. For Cleveland Hall, new floors will be installed, as well as new elevators and air conditioning — a first for all Hinman College resident buildings. Initial Hinman College renovation plans also included Hughes Hall, but because of persistent housing space problems and an unexpected increase in project costs, the University decided to cancel the plans for Hughes Hall and keep it open for the academic year.
The Physical Facilities page also listed 20 other current and upcoming construction projects on campus, some of which include repaving roads and parking lots, installing new exterior panels on the Engineering Building and replacing windows in the Science II tower, which will require scaffolding.
Outside of BU’s main campus, there is also construction happening on the Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City. The campus already welcomed the construction of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in July 2018, and now will be seeing the construction of the Decker School of Nursing.
While the pharmacy school is a new addition to BU, the pre-existing Decker School of Nursing will be relocating from its current location on the main campus to a factory at 48 Corliss Ave. by fall 2020. The factory used to host the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company, but will now be renovated with the help of $51 million in funding rewards received from the Southern Tier Upstate Revitalization Initiative.