Week 2

Here is our update today from DH.

As demolition continues, new equipment roll in in the form of a bulldozer, the Bobcats' big brother. As of yesterday the sidewalks are starting to be removed and the walls of the small practice rooms are tumbling down. Don't be surprised if you hear noises right behind the brick wall in the third floor atrium stairway. As I'm writing this I feel vibrations and hear the noises myself, so it's really happening. There will be periodic jackhammering to loosen the cinderblock of the practice room walls, but it's not nearly as continuous or percussive as the work that was done on the infill, for those who got to experience that. It seems like most of the actual removal of the block walls is having to be done by hand to avoid any unintended demolition. DH went into the choral room as the jackhammer was being used, and while you can hear it when nothing else is going on, it's not really intrusive.

There are no changes to the schedule from last report. The doors in the atrium stairwell should be on order at this point, and their installation within the next two weeks or so will signal the final barricading of the glass doors. Sidewalk demolition will continue through the week, as well as other earth-relocating projects. Hopefully we get enough rain out of week's forecast to knock the dust down but not enough to create a quagmire, but we'll see.

Enjoy the photos, courtesy of DH!

First week of Construction!

Well students and faculty,

The time has come! July 1 was the de Laski Performing Arts Building Expansion Ground Breaking ceremony. Unfortunately, we were saddened by the news on June 20, that Nancy de Laski passed away. The ceremony was a success and now we are on our way to a new expansion or our Performing Arts Building to house portions the newly announced School of Music and School of Dance.

So, fences went up on July 9 and construction promptly began. A week has gone by and as you can see from the photos, progress has been made!

These exciting changes continue each day and in the coming days we expect earth moving equipment to arrive shortly and the sidewalks will be disappearing soon after that. Expect a good deal of dust outside if we don't get any rain soon. Most of the removal of sidewalks will be via backhoe plucking the pieces of sidewalk up. There WILL be some jackhammer type work occuring over the next few weeks as the demolition subcontractor begins removing the old concrete slab. This may be spread out over a period of a few weeks depending on existing conditions. Sound implications shouldn't be too bad, although at times it will be a bit more intrusive than we have previously experienced. Only the Choral room and the Ballet studio should be affected.

The display boards on the third floor are being removed soon. The roof beams will be removed soon, pending examination of the existing construction.

The double-action doors at either end of the existing atrium stairwell will be installed later than previously scheduled. There is a technical question being answered about egress, then the doors may be ordered. Current schedule has them going in on the 27th, with the final barricades going up the next day. Until that time, could you please remind those in your departments that

THE THIRD FLOOR DOORS ARE ONLY TO BE USED IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY. NEEDING A CIGARETTE, HOWEVER DESPERATELY, IS NOT AN EMERGENCY.

There is a lovely butt disposal unit on the second floor plaza between the practice rooms and the concert hall.

The door from the third floor of the atrium stairwell to the new wellness studio will go in near the very end of construction, so it should not impact access to the stairwell at all this semester.

There are now signs up on the construction fences leading people to the "new" entrances to the building.

The sidewalk grate project along the side of the building and adjacent to the TheaterSpace/Black Box entrance should be done today and cured by tomorrow. The finished project should insure drier times in Black Box and the Concert Hall.

That is all from now, as I get updates from DH I will let you all know. Stay tuned next week for the next installment!