Summer may mean a slow-down of student activity at SUNY Plattsburgh, but construction and maintenance projects ramp up as crews take advantage of the near-empty campus.
According to Rick Larche, capital project manager several projects on campus will enter the second phase of construction. The first visible project that has been completed are the two approaches to the bridge over Broad Street. The crumbling structures were removed last year and rebuilt throughout the school year.
Renovation and rehab of the elevated walkway in the center of campus referred to as the “podium” is still underway with Phase I expected to be completed in October. This phase includes extensive rehabilitation to the portion of the podium spanning from the walkway starting at the Yokum Hall parking lot by Beaumont Hall and completing at Hudson Hall. Pavers will be removed and a new membrane, drainage and stamped concrete walking surface will then be installed.
A radiant heat system will be installed to melt snow, which will minimize if not negate snow removal operations. This will eliminate the need for heavy snow-removal equipment and the use of chlorides as deicers, thus extending the life of the podium, Larche said. New green space will spruce up the walkways along the railing edges, and the underside will be rehabilitated to fix all concrete damaged by water.
Phase I of the Sibley Hall project is still underway, with a complete renovation of the south end of the building. This work includes a new second floor in the gymnasium space. That area is offline and will be replaced with offices and clinics for the psychology department, Third Age Adult Day Center, North Country Teacher Resource Center and EHS.
The former NCTRC will house the Third Age center. The inner corridors adjacent to the work areas and the rest of Sibley Hall will be partitioned to separate construction from the rest of the occupied space. Traffic flow will be minimally disrupted, Larche said.
Phase II of the podium project is slated to begin in August with completion expected in two years. This project includes extensive rehabilitation the podium spanning the parking lot at the walkway between the Angell College Center and Feinberg Library, and over to Myers, Yokum and Kehoe buildings. As with Phase I, the pavement will be stripped to the structural slab and the same membrane, pavers and radiant heat system will be installed. Green spaces will also be included in this phase.
The softball field at the field house will receive a new outfield fence this summer to comply with NCAA standards, new infield clay will be placed along with new irrigation and drainage systems. This will not only bring it up to NCAA standards but also allow the field to be playable during the spring when user demand is high, Larche said.
Jules LaPoint, residence hall project manager, said the Moffitt Hall renovation project is nearly completion. Renovation included reconfiguration of the existing suites that provided an additional four single rooms, complete renovation of the bathrooms to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, kitchenettes and study lounges, among other improvements.
The next residence hall taken offline in the multi-year project is Wilson Hall, which closed after students left in May. The scope of Wilson’s renovation includes many of the same amenities and improvements that halls before it received, including changing the configuration of suites, adding kitchenettes, rebuilding elevators and reconfiguration of the lobby, residence director office and apartment and installation of energy-efficient windows.
Reg Macquesten, telecommunications manager, said that the area behind Saranac Hall, which houses the telecom department, will see some work being done this summer with the installation of an enclosed area that will create a safe environment for distributed antenna system equipment. According to Macquesten, this system will provide better cell service and emergency responder radio signals in the campus buildings. At the same time, the college is asking Crown Castle, the company doing the install, to provide space for the campus and increase campus fiber infrastructure during the construction phase, all of which is being done at little or no cost to the campus.