| Work Detail |
Renovations to Scoville and Warren halls, energy efficiency upgrades and acquisition of nearby property are among about $2.6 million worth of capital projects SUNY Adirondack is proposing for 2017-18. The community college’s Board of Trustees on Thursday approved its capital budget request to Warren and Washington counties. Half the funding would come from SUNY. The other half would come from a variety of sources including chargebacks. Chargebacks are the monies Warren and Washington counties, the college''s two sponsoring counties, receive when students from other counties attend. The Faculty-Student Association and the SUNY Adirondack Foundation are also contributing funds. One of the major projects includes the second phase of renovations to Scoville Hall at a cost of $339,000. Phase one occurred this summer and it included a renovation of the library, which is nearly complete and features new carpeting, paint and some equipment. An old classroom across the hall from Einstein Bagel café has been converted into an informal gathering area. Computers from the downstairs are being relocated into that space, which will also be the new home of the mathematics laboratory and Center for Reading and Writing. The Accessibility Services Office and the Counseling Center will also be relocated to Scoville. The second phase of the work includes relocating the Accessibility Services Office and Counseling Center to Scoville Hall to improve student support and efficiency. In addition, the information technology staff, now scattered around the ground floor of the building, will get their own larger space. There is also $400,000 worth of renovations to Warren Hall to create the Student Success Center, which is part of the college’s effort to consolidate student services into one area, according to President Kristine Duffy. The work includes about $150,000 worth of maintenance campus wide. The Department of Environmental Conservation is also requiring the college to replace some underground gas tanks. Another $131,000 is devoted to campus signs. Duffy said the college has upgraded its external college signs and now it is looking to improve internal signage. There is also $180,000 for acquisition of a piece of property adjacent to the campus and for improvements to it. Duffy said the college is considering purchasing the red house that is immediately adjacent to the campus. The land would be used for future college needs, but Duffy said that has not been determined. While these projects are still on the drawing board, planning for the college’s two new buildings remains on track, according to Ann Marie Somma, vice president for administrative services. The college is constructing a 26,500-square-foot addition to its NSTEM (short for nursing, science, technology, engineering and math) building on the south side of the existing science building, and a 23,000-square-foot Adirondack Regional Workforce Readiness Center addition onto the north side. Construction of the two buildings is expected to be completed in August 2017. Building design work on NSTEM has been completed and designs would be presented at the next board meeting, according to Somma. A formal groundbreaking and kickoff for SUNY Adirondack Foundation’s “Reach New Heights” campaign will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 27. The bid to construct the new east parking area was awarded and work will start soon, according to Somma. The additional parking is needed because some of the existing parking lot in front of the science building would be taken away to create a grassy quad. The goal of the Reach New Heights campaign is to raise additional money to provide furniture and other equipment for the campus’ two new buildings. |
