The campus will continue to undergo several construction projects throughout the fall and spring semesters as part of the Facilities Master Plan and State University Construction Fund (SUCF) Projects, Director of Facilities Design and Construction John McEnrue said.
McEnrue said the projects, including the Wooster Science Building (WSB) and Sojourner Truth Library (STL) renovations and the work on the campus parking lots will help enhance the student learning experiences at the college.
“SUNY New Paltz students deserve facilities that match their academic stature and, thankfully, we are in a position of being able to make this happen,” McEnrue said.
Although the STL renovations have been halted as the SUCF and college administration terminated its contract with the original general contractor, McEnrue said the project will resume in the future with minimal disruption to the
library’s operation.
The WSB renovation, costing $36,745,000, will include classroom space, additional faculty offices and a food court and dining hall on the ground floor, according to the Facilities Master Plan. The building is estimated to be completed in the spring of 2014.
McEnrue also said that to facilitate the renovation of WSB, several campus parking lots will close throughout the semester including lots 19-22, with lot 21 closing permanently.
The southern portion of lot 19, near College Hall, will be closed until Nov. 1, 2012 for construction of underground heating lines for WSB. Lots 20 and 22, will be used as staging areas for the WSB renovations and will also remain closed through 2014, Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management John Shupe said in a memo to college faculty.
However, McEnrue also said the additional spaces will be added to accommodate the college’s drivers.
“The parking lot behind Lenape Hall will be complete by early December adding 198 spaces,” McEnrue said. “We are finalizing design work on the Route 32 parking lot extension which will add an additional 140 spaces and hope to have that available in the spring, 2013.”
With less exterior parking, Shupe said students and faculty should adjust their habits to accommodate the changes.
Fourth-year creative writing major Liz Pinto said she cannot remember seeing the campus without blue fences or a time when she was not adjusting to accommodate construction.
“We used to have to walk around past the classroom buildings to get past the fences,” Pinto said. “I knew when I toured the school that there would be improvements made to the campus, though I didn’t realize it would be going on for all four years.”
As she enters her final year of school, Pinto said the promise of a more beautiful campus is bittersweet.
“I understand that this is going to be great in 10 years,” Pinto said. “But, what about now?”