Construction Update - SUMMER 2011
Southern Connecticut State University's Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting & Facilities Operations Robert G. Sheeley provides the following update on campus consturction:
The following is a list of projects that will be starting this summer, many of which will be completed before the beginning of the Fall 2011 Semester:
Renovation of the Old Student Center for Our New School of Business: We have been waiting over 2 years for funding for this project and thanks to the persistence of Interim President Battle we received the Bonding we needed this past Spring. The Construction contract has been issued to Nosal Builders and the contractor began to mobilize the week of May 9, 2011. The project provides for the renovation of the front portion of the building, which is 22,973 square feet. Spaces will be renovated to accommodate the departments of Masters of Business Administration, Accounting, Economics and Finance, Management and Marketing. The renovated space will include faculty offices, computer labs, classrooms and conference/seminar rooms. The project will also include an elevator, new lighting, ceiling systems and floor finishes. A four pipe heating and cooling system will be provided utilizing a remote chiller, connections to the University's high temperature hot water system and perimeter radiation system for supplemental heating. The front façade will be demolished, with a new curtain wall and brick veneer façade installed. The project will take approximately 12 to 15 months to complete and will be a LEED Silver Certified project.
Mechanical & Electrical Upgrades to Jennings Hall: This is a multi-phase project that began during intersession this past winter with the removal and replacement of floor tiles on all floors of the building. The over-all project includes renovations to bathrooms and stairways; replacement of hallway floors, doors, ceilings and painting of same; the demolition and replacement of 8 air handling units located in the penthouse mechanical room; the removal of the existing 300 ton chiller and installation of a new model for air conditioning in the basement mechanical room; the removal of the existing, and installation of a new, emergency generator in the basement generator room; the installation and extension of a new direct automatic controls system; and the installation of a new fire alarm system. Phase II of the project will take place this summer and additional phases will occur throughout the winter and into next summer.
Mechanical & Electrical Upgrades to Earl Hall: This also is a multi-phase project that will start this summer and continue through next summer. The project includes renovation to bathrooms and stairways; the removal of the existing and installation of a new glazed curtain wall at the front of the building; demolition, removal and replacement of all building mechanical equipment in the basement mechanical room; installation of new local mechanical equipment in classrooms and offices; installation of new direct digital automatic controls system; installation of two air cooled chillers for all building air conditioning and a new building emergency generator; and the installation of a new fire alarm system. The Music/Communications part of the building will be done this summer.
Renovations to Farnham Hall: Phase I of this project, renovations to the building bathrooms/showers, were completed in the summer of 2009. The balance of the work has been going on all winter and will be completed in August, 2011. The work on the building includes the replacement of the exterior façade of the building; renovations of the front patio and addition of a rear plaza with landscaping; renovations of approximately 4,000 square feet in the basement to event space with bathroom facilities and food service area; and the 8,000 square-foot renovation of the first floor including lobby, lounge, game room, computer lab, bike storage and residence apartments.
Replacement of Synthetic Surface at Jess Dow Field: The synthetic surface at Jess Dow Field is over 11 years old and has outlived its life expectancy by some 3 years. The current surface is splitting at the seams, has a worn down, uneven playing surface and in some areas has become a hazard. The replacement of the surface requires the removal and legal disposal of the existing carpet, base layer material and in-fill rubber. The new surface will be installed by on or before August 17, 2011.
Brownell Hall Roof Replacement and Installation of Solar Panels: The current roof at Brownell Hall is 27 years old and will be replaced this summer. The project also involves the installation of over 150 solar voltaic panels on the roof to offset some of the electrical operating cost of the facility. Project scheduled for completion on or before August 19, 2011.
Phase II Locker Room Renovations at Moore Field House: Project will begin this summer and will involve the complete gutting of the women's general locker, shower and bathroom areas and the conversion of the space to the men's football locker room, shower and bathroom facilities and individual team locker rooms for men's soccer, basketball and track. Also included will be a small recreational locker room space. Other elements included are a team conference room and storage room. Project completion is scheduled for winter of 2011-12.
Replacement of Roof and Exterior Repairs to the Admissions Building: Project involves the replacement of the sloped slate roof on the main building; the replacement of a flat bituminous roof and carpentry repairs to the exterior rear porch, siding and wood trim. The main house is on the register of historic places and all work has been approved by the Connecticut Historic Commission. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of August, 2011.
Creation of Disaster Recovery Center at the Michael J. Adanti Student Center: The project will meet two current concerns for backing up computer services in the event of a natural disaster or other such emergency rendering the University's Primary Data Center inoperable for a period of time. First this DR Data Center will insure that SCSU will be able to maintain basic functionality for students, faculty and staff. Second, as part of a mutual Disaster Recovery Plan with Western Connecticut State University, we will be providing rack space for WCSU and WCSU will in turn provide similar rack space for SCSU at their location in Danbury. Project is scheduled for completion late summer of early fall of 2011.
Connecticut Hall Elevator Upgrades: Project involves the mechanical repairs to both the service and passenger elevators. In addition ,cab renovations to the passenger elevator will be made. Scheduled completion date of August, 2011. This project may have to be postponed until intersession 2011-12 if parts don't arrive on time.
Cleaning and Protective Painting of Bleachers at Jess Dow Field: In the Fall of 2011 the University had a structural engineer evaluate the condition of the bleachers and make recommendation for future maintenance. The evaluation concluded that the bleachers were in good condition after 20 years and recommended that the steel structure be cleaned of surface rust and painted to prevent further rusting. This project is labor intensive and will take all summer to complete. The project has been bid and awarded and will start on or before June 1, 2011.
Construction of 1,200- Car Garage in Lot 7: This project has been bid and is awaiting contract award. Funds will become available in mid-June and the contract will be awarded. We will be working with the contractor to construct temporary parking facilities next to Seabury this summer and if successful, will start construction of the new garage in September 2011. Construction will take 15 to 18 months for completion.
Wintergreen Building Water Infiltration Project: This past winter we had a structural engineer conduct a Forensic Roof Evaluation of the building to identify the cause(s) of water infiltration into the building. Several problems areas have been identified: the flexing of the metal roof decking (which is normal) has caused fasteners to back out and the exterior gutters have rivets missing and seams have opened up, allowing minor water infiltration. The internal gutter within the mechanical screens is the main source of the water problem. This is basically an original design flaw. A new design to correct this flaw needs to be developed with specifications for bidding. We have requested design services from the Department of Public Works and hope to have this project designed, bid and construction started by the end of the summer of 2011.
Renovations to First Floor of Schwartz Hall: This project involves the renovation of poorly designed, dysfunctional office space to meet the needs of staff servicing our residential students on campus. It also includes the renovation of student resource areas on the main level. The project is currently out to bid and is scheduled for a June 2011 start and September 2011 completion.
Additional design projects that we will be working on throughout the summer include the Design of Our New Academic Science Building and the re-design of the dispatch center in Granoff Hall for University Police.
Last , but not least, we are close to an agreement with the architect for the redesign of documents for the completion of Buley Library. Dr. Battle worked with the system office this past winter to get this project moving and legislation has been introduced, passed by committee and submitted to the full legislature for action. The legislation calls for the redirection of approximately $18 million to complete the project. Approval looks extremely favorable and we hope to start re-design this summer, bidding in the fall and construction start in the early spring of 2012
It will be a busy summer for all of us in Facilities but we look forward to the challenges before us.
Robert G. Sheeley
Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting & Facilities Operations
