The College has sufficient funds to move ahead with renovations on Delta Delta Delta sorority, Richardson Hall and the Gold Coast residence halls, according to Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman, but planned construction on Massachusetts Row will be delayed indefinitely due to the state of the economy.
Redman, who expects to meet with Tri-Delt representatives this week, estimated that renovating the sorority house will cost between $700,000 and $900,000. The College, which owns the organization's physical plant, will pay for any construction on the premises, he said.
Redman said that Tri-Delt's house will be closed this Summer term for construction, but Tri-Delt President Meg Montgoris '09 said the College's current budgetary constraints may force the renovation to be postponed.
The project will largely focus on existing safety and accessibility issues. To accommodate physically disabled students, Tri-Delt will install a lift near its parking area and a fully accessible living space with a restroom on the first floor. The College will also use the opportunity to complete any necessary repainting, recarpeting and roof work, Redman said.
The College's Board of Trustees will vote on whether to move forward with the construction at its February meeting, Redman said.
"My sense is as long as I have the cash and it's for the issues I am saying it will be for, it will get approved," Redman said.
The renovation comes as a response to the Fuller Audits, which were commissioned by the College almost 10 years ago to provide a comprehensive analysis of the College's Greek organization and undergraduate society physical plants, Redman said. The audits examined the buildings' layout, as well as whether they had up-to-date utilities and safety features. The audits found that all of the buildings could be improved, Redman said.
The College decided in 2003 to offer low-interest loans to privately owned fraternities and undergraduate societies to help them comply with the audit's recommendations. Most of the Greek organizations and undergraduate societies have started, if not finished, their updates or are on schedule to begin soon, Redman said. Gamma Delta Chi, Kappa Kappa Kappa and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities are still in the process of designing feasible financial plans.
Richardson Hall will be closed for renovations during Winter term of 2010, Redman said. Plans call for complete remodeling of the building's restrooms. Students have expressed concern about restroom entrances, which currently open into Richardson's stair well, Redman said.
The construction should not have a significant impact on the College's ability to provide housing, Redman said. While Richardson houses 63 beds, the Office of Residential Life has more than 200 vacancies this winter, Redman said, adding that there should be a similar number of students off campus next year during the Winter term. Students can live in Richardson during Fall term, but ORL does not have a specific plan for relocating those residents for the winter, Redman said.
"In the [2009-2010 housing guide] booklet, we'll be saying Richardson is a great place to live if you're only living here Fall term," Redman said.
The roofs of the Gold Coast residence halls also need to be replaced, Redman said, so that leakage does not become an "emergency" and cost the College more in the long run.
If the roofs are not replaced, Redman said, "water will start pouring in."
The renovation of Massachussetts Row is still in the preliminary planning phase, Redman said. The buildings have some "safety issues," including a lack of fire sprinklers in North and South Mass. Construction on Mass Row is projected to cost between $10 and $12 million. ORL will have to raise the money, which could take 10 to 12 years, or take out a loan, which Redman said would be unwise in the current economic climate.
"I don't have that kind of money sitting in my back pocket," he said.
If the Mass Row construction project becomes sufficiently delayed, Redman said, the College will install sprinklers with the understanding that they will be torn out when a major renovation occurs.
"I hate doing that, but safety is the primary concern," he said.
At least a quarter of the residential buildings on campus are more than 100 years old, Redman said.
"Obviously, they've withstood the test of time," Redman said. "But buildings that old need a little more attention."
Several of the College's other major construction projects -- including the Visual Arts Center and the Class of 1953 Commons -- will remain under review to determine their feasibility, but others -- such as the reconstruction of the Memorial Field west stands -- have been delayed indefinitely. The College has said it will move forward with construction on the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center.