Some Dartmouth students are finding they are being awoken by something other than their alarm clocks and the early-rising sun in the mornings: campus construction.
From residence hall and classroom renovations to digging up steam tunnels and building a new psychology building, it is difficult to reach any campus destination without a tractor crossing your path.
Some of the construction sites on campus are for long-term projects, such as the transformation of Webster Hall into the new Rauner Special Collections Library. Others, such as the renovations to Cutter-Shabazz Hall, will be completed by Fall term.
Summer renovations
Rockefeller 1 and 2, which are heavily booked classrooms popular with professors, are being upgraded with higher-capability audio-visual equipment, according to Project Manager Mark Vogel.
Vogel said crews are installing new audio-visual equipment with a touch-screen control system, so professors can control the lights and screens "simply by touching what it is they want to operate on a little screen on the lecturn."
He said the rooms will receive a new sound system, new computer and video projection systems and a permanently installed computer "for teachers who like to use digitized courseware."
Vogel said the Rockefeller classrooms should be "ready to roll and on-line starting Fall term."
Residence hall renovations
Residence hall renovations occur during the summers when fewer students reside on campus. Last summer, most residence halls were upgraded to Ethernet connections and room lighting was improved.
This summer, Massachusetts Hall and Cutter-Shabazz Hall are being renovated, Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels said.
Eckels said Mid-Mass will receive a new copper roof, outside perimeter drainage, a sprinkler system, improved bathroom ventilation, new hallway lighting, new data wiring, new phone wiring and hallway carpet.
"Mass Row is sort an in-between renovation this summer -- it's not a full renovation," he said. "Mid-Mass is going to come back for a whole renovation in the near future."
Another renovation area in Mid-Mass this summer is the central stairs, which are being enclosed with a cinderblock wall for fire safety purposes, Eckels said.
Currently each floor in the residence hall has two wings closed off by fire doors. But there is one "room that opens into the stairwell" on each floor," Eckels said.
Cutter-Shabazz Hall is undergoing "major renovations," he said, and will receive fire sprinklers, a new roof, new room furniture, improved bathroom ventilation, new carpeting, a new hallway and improved room lighting.
A lift will be installed between the first floor and basement so they are wheelchair-accessible, Eckels said, and a first-floor conference room will be renovated so it can convert, when needed, into a wheelchair accessible student room with a bathroom.
Cutter-Shabazz is currently coed by floor, with only one bathroom on each floor. This summer, each bathroom will be split so a men's and women's facility is on each floor, and both sexes can reside anywhere in the building.
Both the Mid-Mass and Cutter-Shabazz renovations will be completed before Fall term.
Long-term projects
Other campus construction is not so immediate.
Webster Hall renovations are scheduled to be completed by late fall of 1998. Currently both exterior and interior construction is taking place, as Webster is transformed into the Rauner Special Collections Library.
Assistant Director of Facilities Planning Jack Wilson said the interior of the building has been gutted, and the existing foundation is being reinforced so underground storage space can be built between Webster and Baker libraries.
"Through the summer and fall months there will be constant activity associated with the site," Wilson said, as heavy equipment is needed on the site and excavation continues to occur.
He said during the winter months the facility will be closed off and the interior and underground areas can be worked on.
Another long-term campus project is the construction of the $26.5 million Moore Psychology building on Maynard St.
According to Jim Sharpe, who oversees the site, "construction is seven percent complete."
Sharpe said crews are currently excavating for the auditorium and 80-person classroom the building will contain, as well as placing concrete walls and an elevator shaft.
Structural steel for the basement levels of the building is expected to be delivered in early August, he said. He added the underground shell portion of the building and concrete and steel work should be completed by October.
Assistant Director of Facilities Planning Reed Bergwall told The Dartmouth in May the building is scheduled to officially open June of 1999.
Construction is also being performed on steam tunnels behind McNutt Hall. The project manager for the site could not be reached for more information.
