Students living in the Hasbrouck complex residence halls can expect to see the next residence renovation project begin in fall 2013 as part of the five-year facilities plan, John McEnrue, director of facilities, design and construction, said.
McEnrue said although the timeline is set for construction, the choice for the next hall has not been finalized.
John Shupe, assistant vice president for facilities management, said Lefevre Hall is being considered for the next round of renovation. However, McEnrue said the final decision will depend on the condition of the different halls in the complex to determine which hall is in most critical need of repair.
Jamie Tyler, a first-year student who lives in Lefevre Hall, said she is looking forward to renovations that her building may be getting soon.
“I am most looking forward to the rooms getting fixed up,” Tyler said. “Lefevre is an old building, but I love it.”
McEnrue said future renovations will be similar to the recent ones performed at Crispell Hall, including heating and plumbing systems, telecommunication and Wi-Fi services. There will also be a modified “hipped” roof that will enclose mechanical equipment for the building and improve the roof’s efficiency by reducing heat loss with additional insulation.
The Crispell renovations cost approximately $12.5 million and after adjusting for inflation, McEnrue said the future projects are anticipated to fall in line with those costs.
“We will increase the size of the suites, as we did in Crispell Hall, by usurping the currently underutilized corridors within the wings of the student living areas, giving larger common areas within the student suites,” McEnrue said.
McEnrue said the intersession between fall and spring semesters is the ideal time to begin the renovations because students leave the halls due to either graduating, moving off-campus or transferring schools. He said that the eight month period from December through the following summer allows for more renovation time without displacing students from campus housing or disturbing the residents.
“When this [loss of students] happens, we have a window of opportunity that allows us to have the remaining students living in the residence hall scheduled for renovation to move into one of the other student rooms that have an opening in another hall on campus,” McEnrue said.
Lefevre Hall Government President Kevin Dougherty, who has lived in the hall for his entire college career, said the renovations are likely to inconvenience students who have made a home in the soon-to-be-renovated residence hall. He said closing the residence halls halfway through a year makes it difficult for groups of friends to continue living together, especially for those in the suite-style residence halls.
McEnrue said a date of completion for hall repairs has been set.
“Our goal is to have [the next hall] completed for the fall semester in 2014,” McEnrue said.