Cogeneration workers spent the summer installing underground piping throughout campus, as well as laying the foundation for a new building and making various installations.
“Hundreds of projects have been completed,” Associate Vice President of Facilities and Services Richard Pifer said. “The construction has gone quite smoothly with only a few delays due to material delays.”
Piping was installed from the Interfaith Chapel, Burton Hall, Crosby Hall, the Goergen Athletic Center and Susan B. Anthony Residence Halls and Towers.
“We are updating the heating system to a number of building throughout campus,” Director of Planning and Project Management Wayne Goodwin said. “[The new system] uses hot water instead of steam as a heating process. This could provide power as well, so it is like getting two bangs for one dollar.”
In addition, the Century Utility Plant is getting new equipment to allow the whole system to work Aside from pipe installations, sidewalk reconstruction has also taken place. For example, the Wilson Boulevard roadway and sidewalk have both been fully restored.
A new biomedical engineering and optics building is being built and is scheduled to open in December 2006. “The project is on schedule at this point,” Goodman said. “During the summer, there were piles driven into the ground, and concrete caps were put on the large steel columns. The five-story building will be built on top of that, but we cannot build that over the summertime. Steel erection will start in September. During the summer the site was prepared.”
Although much of the work that began this summer is finished, there are areas still undergoing construction. The Towers walkway, at the south end of Fauver Stadium to Sage Arts Center has been shut down due to construction. Contractors plan on having this restoration complete by Sept. 18.
The Fraternity Quad has also undergone some construction. Sigma Chi, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Alpha Mu and Delta Kappa Epsilon had sprinklers and smoke detectors installed in every room.
“Some work is wrapping up in those buildings,” Goodman said. “We worked with The College and fraternities to make sure their bedrooms and kitchen areas were completed.”
Some are not pleased with the work done. The contractors miscalculated drill spots and failed to fill the holes they left. They also neglected to clean the debris from their work, leaving sawdust and dry wall remnants throughout the fraternity houses.
“I understand that the work was necessary, but I would expect that as part of the job the workers would clean after themselves,” senior and Sigma Chi brother Jay Kulesa said.
The benefits are believed to be greater than the clean-up. “[The work done on the Fraternity Quad] is a part of an overall plan to increase fire protection within the residence halls,” Pifer said.
Ricketts can be reached at aricketts@campustimes.org.
