The University Property Committee (UPC) and I write to update the community on the progress of several capital projects, as well as what to expect with regards to parking and traffic flow disruptions associated with the construction of Benton Hall.
Major renovations to Andrews Hall and Bryan Complex were completed over the summer. The Class of 1965 arena has already hosted the first women’s and men’s hockey games of the season. Work on capital projects will continue with the construction of Benton Hall and two new residence halls.
In order to keep the campus community updated, we will establish a website for each of our large capital projects with the goal of providing up-to-date information regarding disruptions in our day-to-day routines. The website will include updates and pictures of the projects as they move forward.
Construction will begin in the coming weeks on Benton Hall, the new home for Center for Career Services and the Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships. The new building, designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects, includes a large programming space outfitted with global teleconferencing capabilities, student study spaces, a seminar room, and a small lecture hall. Benton Hall, slated to open in 2018, is funded exclusively through the generous support of Colgate’s alumni and parents.
In order to begin work on Benton Hall, there are a number of items that need to be addressed to prepare the site before construction can begin. A detailed timeline of this work can be found on the project’s website. One particular disruption that we want to draw everyone’s attention to is the loss of 44 parking spaces along the lower portion of Academic Drive and the former French House parking lot. After reviewing several options for offsetting the lost parking spots, the UPC, working in conjunction with facilities, determined that the best short term parking solution would be to construct an interim parking lot next to Olin Hall. This site will offset 28 of the lost spots. An additional 11 parking spots already have been reserved for Faculty/Staff parking in the lot of 100 Hamilton Street.
The 2013 Campus Master Plan developed by the campus community and Sasaki and Associates provides guidance on long-term solutions to problems regarding parking and circulation. We are continuing to work on these infrastructure issues as we move forward with these significant capital projects.
We want to thank everyone for their patience as work begins on these projects.
JS Hope, Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration
Jeff Bary, Chair of the University Property Committee, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy
University Property Committee
