Repairs and Construction Underway on Campus Sarah R. Buchholz CHRONICLE STAFF June 28, 2000 Each summer brings extensive construction work to campus, and this one is no exception. Facilities Planning will complete about $5 million in repairs, renovation and construction and will start some new projects between the end of academic year 1999-2000 and the early part of 2000-2001. Some of the work is in conjunction with Housing Services, which is working on an additional $2 million in capital improvements between semesters. The total cost of five roofing projects will make up about half of Facilities Planning's summer work. Residence hall roofing on Melville and parts of Kennedy, Washington and Coolidge is being replaced, and roofs on Holds-worth and Hasbrouck are expected to be finished by early fall. Thompson Hall and the Fine Arts Center also are getting new roofs this summer. The other big-budget items for the summer are a fire-alarm system for Baker House ($700,000) and the FAC's long-needed elevator to improve handicap accessibility to its concert hall, which is expected to cost a total of about $690,000, according to Marty Smith, manager of Planning and Architecture at Facilities Planning. Smith said total costs reflect not only construction costs, but fees for designers, project management, any system shutdowns in the buildings, re-keying, printing costs and contingencies. Mid-sized projects include the repaving of lots 64 and 32B ($200,000), code upgrades in Bowditch and Farley lodges ($290,000), new room and stairwell doors and flooring in Baker ($190,000), and new food kiosks in the Hillside Room of the Worcester Dining Hall ($200,000). Smaller projects include installing a knot garden at the Renaissance Center, telecommunications equipment and seating for a classroom in the Computer Science Building, and one or two new brick and metal gateway signs. In addition to residence hall projects done in conjunction with Facilities Planning, Housing Services is working on capital improvements in the areas of exit lighting and signage, elevator modernization, utility shaft openings, bathroom partitions, and ductwork in parts of the Southwest complex. Much of the painting slated for this summer will also take place there, largely in Coolidge Tower. Other residence hall improvements include plumbing and heating work in Orchard Hill, lead abatement and structural work in Lincoln Apartments, and equipment and furniture upgrades for Baker, Chadbourne, Coolidge, and new permanent room spaces being fashioned in anticipation of a repeat of last year's high demand for residence hall housing.