While most of the College slows to a crawl during the summer months, the offices of Facilities, Operations and Management and Facilities Planning actually speed up.
"It's our one opportunity to dig into the ground and so we do it," said John Gratiot, associate director of Facilities, Operations and Management.
Gratiot said while his office undertakes many projects year-round, many of the larger projects occur in the summer.
For example, one of the outside projects many students may have noticed is the re-roofing of Dartmouth Hall.
The scaffolding is part of the effort to re-roof the building on three sides. The fourth side was redone last year, Gratiot said. The Collis Center also underwent roof work last week.
The College is also pouring almost $1 million into themaintenance and renovation of Butterfield and Russell Sage residence halls in addition to extensive sidewalk, roof and drainage work.
Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels said as part of their facelifts Butterfield and Russell Sage will have new carpet laid in student rooms and hallway carpets replaced.
Eckels said the College will also refinish and reupholster furniture in common areas and provide new furniture for rooms while refinishing built-in furniture.
Hallway ceilings will be replaced and both dorms will be fitted with a new sprinkler system, according to Eckels.
Butterfield and Russell Sage will both be rewired with a new phone and computer systems, which will allow students to use Ethernet -- a faster computer network wiring system than AppleTalk currently installed in the residence halls.
Eckels said College buildings were originally wired with AppleTalk around 1984 but since 1992 the College has been rewiring its buildings with Ethernet.
A propane generator will fuel a new emergency electrical system for both buildings, Eckels said. The propane generator will replace a costlier battery-run system.
The Ripley, Woodward, Smith cluster will also undergo maintenance this term. The College will replace lights, smoke detectors, conduct work on the cluster's drainage systems and fix some stairs in the buildings.
Gratiot said Facilities Operations and Management will be doing a significant amount of work on College sidewalks this term.
With roof work and work on steam lines, Gratiot said the projects will probably amount to somewhere between $300,000 and $400,000.
Additionally, sidewalks on Tuck Drive, in front of McNutt Hall, Parkhurst Hall, Baker Library and the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts will all receive reconstructive repairs this summer, he said.
Another large part of Facilities Operations and Management's work this term involves the steam tunnel.
Just south of Thornton Hall and between Wentworth Hall and North Fayerweather residence hall Facilities Operations and Management is working to replace some existing steam and condensation lines.
Condensation lines are also being replaced down near the River Cluster this term.
