From Memorial Field to the area behind McNutt Hall, several construction projects are underway and nearing the final stages of completion this fall.
After the final home football game last fall, the demolition of Memorial Field’s West Stands began.
John Scherding, director of campus design and construction, said the Memorial Field project is in the final stages and will be finished before the first home football game against Sacred Heart University on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Scherding emphasized that the renovated facility is a tremendous improvement and offers an added value for spectators.
“In general, everything will function much better,” he said. “The aisles are much more accommodating, the seating is better and the restrooms are a terrific improvement over what they once were.”
Buddy Teevens, varsity football head coach, expressed a similar sentiment regarding the Memorial Field renovations.
“It has exceeded my expectations,” Teevens said. “We are really proud of our facility.”
Teevens added that he was extremely impressed by the new stands’ visual impact and the positive response the project has received from alumni, players, parents and prospective student-athletes.
He said that although the old stadium was very historic and had great memories, the stands were lagging in comparison to other athletic facilities on campus.
Scherding said a challenging aspect of the Memorial Field construction project was keeping the brick walls of the stands structurally intact after demolishing the interior support.
“The wall was held up with about 40 braces,” he said. “The brick wall was important to maintain for the historical value of the stadium and the College.”
The renovation to Memorial Field maintained the tribute to the College’s community and history while also modernizing the facility and making it more attractive, Teevens said.
On another side of campus, construction behind McNutt Hall is in progress. Capital renewal program manager Patrick O’Hern said that the construction behind McNutt is the replacement of steam manhole No. 24, which is a component of the campus-wide steam distribution system.
“It was recently found to have substantial structural and mechanical deficiencies,” he said. “To ensure future reliable operation of the campus heating system, facilities operations and management made this project one of the top priorities on the annual utility maintenance program.”
O’Hern noted that the site work for this project is scheduled to be completed at the end of September and that the project is on schedule and on budget for $450,000.
On another part of campus, Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity’s house renovation project is still in progress. The project will add five bedrooms to the facility, redesign the house’s interior extensively, update the building’s egress routes to the most recent planning codes and construct substantial additions to both the east and west sides of the house, Bernie O’Rourke, the architect for the Tri-Kap project at Wiemann Lamphere Architects, said.
The scheduled completion date for the renovation project has been moved back by a few weeks, O’Rourke said. He added that the new target date is around April 1.
Most of the demolition of the house is completed and the new foundation has been laid, O’Rourke said. Additionally, most of the materials that are being used in the renovation have been approved and ordered.
Bruce Williamson ’74, president of Domus Custom Builders and Tri-Kap alum, added that the project is in the framing stage.
“It’s at this stage where the shape of the new building becomes apparent, particularly the large expansion to the west and the expansion to the east,” he said. “It’s really exciting for us to see the new spaces, and how they relate to the spaces our fellow Tri-Kaps have always loved.”
Because of all of the construction, Tri-Kap will hold recruitment in the Rockefeller Center, Tri-Kap president Keaton Renta ’16 said.
“We’re excited to bring in the 2018 class into Tri-Kap at such a historic time for us. The new house will really help us take full advantage of everything the brotherhood has to offer and will further strengthen the Tri-Kap experience,” Renta said. “While we’ll have to be creative in some ways, the project won’t affect our operations and we’ll still be a very active and close brotherhood over the short construction period.”
Future construction projects include the rebuilding of Moosilauke Ravine Lodge and the renovation of Baker Tower.
O’Hern said that the Baker Tower construction is a restoration and renovation of the main roof around Baker Library.
He added that it will be a highly visible project because there will be a lot of scaffolding around the tower.
“There will be some rooms that will be impacted by the library tower renovation, notabably the Tower Room,” he said. “There may be different routes around the library, but access will continue to be open for students during the summer.”
Further, construction to the Lodge could begin as early as fall of 2016. According to the project’s website, its goal is to create a safe, durable structure that could continue to be maintained by students while retaining the character, tradition and community of the Lodge.
