Madeleva, Regina slated for summer construction
By NOREEN GILLESPIE
Saint Mary's Editor
A timeline of the Campus Master Plan for renovation and expansion of Saint Mary's is in place, and construction is set to begin as soon as May.
Regina Hall, the first of four projects on the immediate schedule, will undergo redesign and improvements through renovations to student dorm rooms in Regina North and South residence areas.
"We're in schematic design development right now," said Keith Dennis, vice president for finance and administration. "The next step is figuring out what we want out of the project."
The College selected Matthews, Pruckner, and Anella Inc., a local architecture firm, for the Regina project which tentatively includes improvements to windows, temperature control and electrical systems.
Room layout changes are also a possiblity, Dennis said.
"We're looking at the room layouts in Regina and seeing what rooms appeal to students," he said. "We have to wait and see what the firm recommends."
Regina construction will begin in May after Commencement. The building is expected to be open for residence in fall of 2000.
"We have a more aggressive schedule for Regina," Dennis said. "To be finished by the fall, we'll have to be in there the day after [students] move out."
Construction is not expected to interfere with academic or residential life.
"It shouldn't be an inconvenience," Dennis said. "The only thing that students will see while they are here are materials moving in, maybe some vans."
Renovations to Madeleva classrooms will to begin in July 2000.
Specific renovations are still unclear, and the College is waiting for recommendations from Matthew, Prucker and Anella Inc. and an engineering firm.
"In Madeleva, we need to look specifically at safety code violations in the building," Dennis said. "We have a number of dead end hallways, and if the building is filled with smoke, we don't want people turning down those hallways. The building also isn't sprinkled. We need to make sure the building is up to code."
Madeleva is scheduled to be completed in March 2001, meaning construction will take place during classes.
"We can be in construction while students are in class. What that will mean is that we have to take a section out of the building and block it off," Dennis said.
The construction timeline for Madeleva will have to be more flexible than Regina's, due to working around class schedules, however.
"That construction phase will most likely be longer," Dennis said. "The bulk of our work is scheduled to occur in 180 days. We can't possibly get that amount of work done in that time period."
The renovation will displace classes, Dennis said.
"The faculty are investigating other teaching space on campus," he said. "But right now, the most important thing we can do is identify what needs to be done. We have to remember that this is a renovation, not a tear-down."
A welcome center, slated for location at the corner of Madeleva and Main Street, will begin construction in fall of 2000.
The center, designed to welcome visitors to campus, will also house security but, "without a security appearance," Dennis said.
James E. Childs and Associates was selected as the architects for the project.
Official construction dates and architects are yet to be named for the fourth project, a renovation and redesign of Noble Family Dining Hall which will include a student center.
The new dining hall/student center will house the bookstore, post office, bank, student activities, student government offices, a café and is expected to double in size compared to the current facility.
Architectural Design Group and Ellerbe Becket are the two remaining architectural firms in the running for the dining hall project. A phone conference to select the architect is scheduled for Oct. 1.
All News Stories for Tuesday, September 28, 1999
