Syracuse University expects to complete renovations of the Schine Student Center in August 2020, an SU official said at a campus forum Thursday evening in the Shaffer Art Building.

Joe Alfieri, director of SU’s Division of Campus Planning, Design and Construction, said 80 percent of the area in the middle of Schine will be closed off during construction, which will begin in May. The office and dining portions of the building will be closed, but the bookstore will remain open, Alfieri said.

Alfieri also said the pyramid roof above the atrium will be demolished. He added that his division is working with the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience to send out communications regarding the relocation of offices currently housed in Schine.

“We have heard what the students want in Schine,” he said.

Pete Sala, SU’s vice president and chief facilities officer, detailed the university’s current plans for renovations to the Carrier Dome at the forum. He said consistent construction will begin in April, and crews will work regularly until March 2020 — when the Dome’s signature roof is scheduled to be torn down.

The crews will then work on an accelerated schedule to have the roof fully replaced before the football season starts in September 2020. Sala said the project will have a huge impact on the campus, requiring multiple 110-foot steel beams and other large equipment. SU will require three cranes in total, he said.

“No one’s ever seen a crane this big this side of the country,” Sala said.

Staff members at the forum rose concerns about noise, but Sala said there will be minimal jackhammering or other noisy construction work.

Mark Hance, associate director for construction at the CPDC, gave updates on the Barnes Center at the Arch, the estimated $50 million renovation of Archbold Gymnasium.

SU has said that the Counseling Center, Office of Health Promotion, SU Health Services, Recreation Services and the Office of Student Assistance will all be located in the renovated building, which will be called “The Arch.”

At the forum, Hance said the northern section of the building will open in July. The other two sections of the building are on track to be completed by September 2019, he said.

“The Barnes Center at the Arch is picking up steam,” said Hance.

Hance said the fence sectioning off the construction location will move closer to the building as construction continues, allowing for easier vehicle and foot traffic on Sims and Forestry drives.

Sala said a recent change to the Barnes Center plan includes raising the sidewalk between it and the Physics Building, eliminating the need for stairs and increasing accessibility.

The renovated gym will include a multi-floor fitness center, a pool, a rock climbing wall, a multi-activity sports court and fully accessible bathrooms and locker rooms, SU announced in May 2017.

The officials also said they will be working on replacing the roof of Lawrinson Hall, renovating two Hall of Languages auditoriums, adding Ice Box II in Sims Hall and updating signage this summer. Sala said there are 165 construction projects on campus either currently underway or being planned.

Other business

• The west side of Maxwell Hall will receive masonry work, including replacing or cleaning limestone.
• The Burton Blatt Institute will be moved to the fourth floor of Dineen Hall, where the College of Law is located.
• University Hill Bike Network Project, meant to increase accessibility for bicyclists in the city, will be working on Comstock, Waverly, and South Crouse avenues starting April and ending in July 2019.
• There is no plan for what SU’s vacant properties on the 700 block of Ostrom Avenue will be used for, but the university is studying occupancies for the area between DellPlain and Shaw halls.

Published on March 21, 2019 at 11:43 pm

Contact Patrick: pjlineha@syr.edu