Houghton renovation tops campus project list

The first phase of the Houghton Hall renovation is clearly the most visible campus construction or improvement project in the fall semester, but it’s by no means the only significant campus investment undertaken or completed as students, faculty and staff return for the fall semester.

Numerous repairs and maintenance upgrades have been undertaken by Facilities Services staff that encompass residence halls, academic and administration buildings, parking lots, roadways and sidewalks.

Interior demolition and hazardous material abatement, which began in earnest at Houghton soon after Commencement and resulted in the shell of the 74,000 square-foot building resembling a parking garage, paved the way for work to start on an all new exterior – comprised of glazing, masonry and window systems – in the project’s Phase 1.

Replacing the building’s original exterior façade because the bricks were not found not to be tied or anchored to backup blocks turned out to be an unexpected benefit for Fredonia, explained Markus Kessler, director of Facilities Planning. A new exterior masonry block and brick building skin will increase the thickness of exterior walls by four inches, thus raising the insulation value of the building. Interior dimensions will not be altered by the thicker walls.

“Now we can make the building very energy efficient,” Mr. Kessler noted.

Phase 1, budgeted at $6.4 million, is expected to be completed by December. Bids for Phase 2, which is called the “fit-out” and includes interior partitions for classrooms, labs, offices and other spaces, along with new HVAC systems, will be solicited in October or November, so work can start in early 2019, Kessler said.

Built in 1968, Houghton served as the temporary home of the departments of Theatre and Dance and Visual Arts and New Media during the Rockefeller Arts Center expansion/renovation project. The departments of Geology and Environmental Sciences and Physics, which will occupy Houghton when it reopens in 2020, are temporarily housed in Jewett Hall.

Elsewhere, new carbon monoxide detection devices are being installed in 19 buildings, as required by changes to the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code, for commercial buildings that contain appliances, devices or systems that may emit carbon monoxide. Work began May 7 and was completed Aug. 17.

The $320,000 project includes academic buildings (Mason, McEwen, Jewett, Science Center and Thompson), athletic facilities (Dods, Steele, Natatorium and University Stadium), as well as University Commons, Gregory, LoGrasso, Maytum, Services Complex, the technology incubator and Erie Dining Hall.

Installation of sub-metering devices for all fuels and other energy sources, as required by an executive order that mandates a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency performance of state government buildings by 2020, began May 21 and was completed Aug. 17. The $700,000 project calls for electric sub-meters in 18 buildings and gas sub-meters in 22 buildings.

Installation of new air handling units and controls in McEwen Hall began on May 21 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31. The $1.9 million project replaces the building’s original air handling units.

Numerous maintenance and building projects have been undertaken at Fredonia during summer months to prepare for the new academic year. Facilities Services staff and I.T.S. staff have worked countless hours to improve and maintain the campus. “The past summer was one of the busiest summers in many years with numerous projects in all areas of the campus,” remarked Kevin Cloos, director of Facilities Services.

Two welcomed improvements at Dods Hall include the refurbished gymnasium, with the installation of new lighting and scoreboards, refinishing of the hardwood floor and painting of interior walls and the complete renovation- with new lighting, flooring and equipment- of the lower level Performance Center used by athletes. Additionally, two new team locker rooms have been established, exterior doors have been replaced, card access installed and interior hallways painted.

Asphalt milling and paving has been completed on portions of Ring Road, on Resident Row and dock areas of Chautauqua and McGinnies halls and along Varsity Drive, which includes the installation of new sidewalks. New LED lighting has been installed or will be installed this fall at three parking lots and lines repainted on parking lots and roadways. Sidewalks and curbing have been replaced in select areas. New concrete coatings have been applied to entrances of Mason, Alumni, McGinnies and Maytum halls, the Williams Center and University Commons.

One elevator in the Carnahan Jackson Center in Reed Library was upgraded; new LED lighting was installed at several interior locations on campus and exterior lighting is currently being replaced along the walkways near Nixon and Chautauqua halls.

Student rooms, bathrooms, doors, frames and hallways were repainted in residence halls, as were office areas, hallways and classrooms in academic and administration buildings. New flooring was installed in several locations on the campus including the hallways of McGinnies Hall. Two kitchens in Gregory Hall are being updated with new cabinets, flooring, ceilings, lighting, electrical, plumbing and appliances.

Ventilation improvements were made at Fenton Hall and in the Mason Extension and an exterior ramp was restored, also in Mason. The ceiling and lights in Rehearsal Room 1001 were also replaced. Repairs were made to the exterior of several buildings including Mason and Gregory halls and at the Andrews Complex. Several improvements occurred in classrooms, reading rooms and computer labs.

Landscaping was updated near the Andrews Complex and Natatorium and the low mow zones were established.