Much of campus under construction as Facilities Management restores, renovates
For what CMU's campus lacks in crowds over the summer, it makes up for in orange construction barrels and equipment.
Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Steve Lawrence said on-campus construction and maintenance is completed during the summer so as not to interfere with classes.
In an email, Lawrence said the university receives $5.7 million in deferred maintenance funding each year to repair aging infrastructure.
“The summer is the best time to complete this work,” he said.
Facilities Management is focusing on sidewalks, parking lots and street repairs for the same reason; fewer people are on campus during the summer months.
Several classrooms in Brooks and Anspach halls are undergoing renovation and will be closed for a portion of the summer according to the Construction Project Hotline. The hotline can be called by all members of the public at 774-6500.
“The university consists of over 5.75 million square feet of floor space and it requires considerable maintenance to keep the buildings and behind-the-scenes equipment operating efficiently,” Lawrence said.
One parking lot undergoing maintenance is Lot 10, adjacent to the Bovee University Center.
Lawrence said the lot is being reconstructed to remove old, cracked asphalt and perform repairs on drainage structures.
“(We will be) replacing some concrete curbing and sidewalks as well as reshaping the area to provide better storm water drainage,” he said.
Similar work is being done on Warriner Hall, where downspout and drainage repairs are taking place, according to the Facilities Management website.
Domestic water supplies are being repaired in Moore Hall, closing off access to the restrooms on the third and fourth floors of the building until June 23. The building has no hot water until June 15, the hotline said.
Lawrence said a set of bathrooms is almost always kept open during this period of maintenance. The only exception is when the entire building has its water shut off to make repairs to the main supply system or valves.
This was the case one day during the summer, but he does not expect it to happen again.
Construction continues in the Bovee UC. The lower East Wing is under renovation and will remain closed until project completion. The Health Professions Building is still undergoing construction in the area that will house the College of Medicine.
Ian Kelly, a St. Joseph senior, said he noticed both the construction in the parking lots and the lower level UC renovations, and said it is more difficult to have the additional parking spots taken.
“But it hasn’t really been a problem; I just go to a different lot,” he said.
