| Campus construction projects set for summer BY MIKE UNGER 
Photo by Jeff Watts
Dean Richard Durand, benefactors Bob and Arlene Kogod, and Interim President Neil Kerwin at the seventh annual Dean’s Dinner and Building Expansion Kickoff Faculty, staff, and students remaining on campus in the months following commencement will have some company. Bulldozers, construction equipment, and chain link fences will be popping up all over this summer, which is shaping up to be a busy one for work crews as several major construction projects are set to proceed at full speed. The Kogod renovation, which involves a refurbishing of the Experimental Theatre, which will eventually be connected to the existing Kogod building, already has begun. “We have finished the selective demolition and hazardous materials removal inside the building,” said Jerry Gager, university architect. “We expect to receive bids for the next phase on May 3, and then probably have a contract prepared and signed by mid-June. The construction should be completed by August 2008.” Another high-profile project is set to begin in the Mary Graydon Center next month. While work proceeds on the first floor, part of the level will be closed to pedestrian traffic. “That’s a renovation of the first floor from the Tavern around through the university club rooms,” Gager said. “Mostly room finishes like carpet, furniture, other flooring, and in the Tavern they’ll be a new ceiling. The restrooms on the quad side of the building will be removed and relocated to the middle corridor area. If you’re standing in front of Pura Vida you’ll see open space. A portion of the first floor will be closed beginning the third week of May. The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.” The day after commencement, officials will close the amphitheater for the summer while a new steam line is installed and renovations are made to the stage. It is scheduled to reopen before the start of the fall semester. The new School of International Service building is still in the permitting phase, Gager said. “If all goes well and all the approvals are granted, we would expect to begin excavation in mid-September,” he said. Among the other, smaller projects on tap for this summer are some mechanical work in the President’s Office Building, interior renovation of Leonard Hall and the remodeling of the Watkins Building. |
