Susan's Blog

October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween everyone! Tomorrow is the first day of November, the month we have all been waiting for. We start our move back at the end of November (November 26th to be exact!). It feels like I am on a train running down a hill……….

Our building was officially named for former Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus on Friday, October 12, 2007. Governor Dreyfus was not able to attend due to health reasons but several members of his family were here to participate in the celebration.

We had a short program in the Laird Room of the building (…while still under construction! "Thank You Miron Construction" for your awesome efforts in getting that room ready and presentable!) followed by a reception, complete with red vest cookies, in the Noel Fine Arts Center courtyard.

The program really focused on the history UWSP has had for student engagement and involvement and how important Mr. Dreyfus was to creating that culture. John Jury, former Director of the University Center, in a letter he wrote to Mr. Dreyfus recently, stated:

Student learning is on the front burner of the building. The architects did a good job of listening. Students told them what they had in mind and I think the designers did a good job of capturing their thoughts and feelings. Where the old building was set up more for meetings and conferences, the new building is designed more as a place for people to gather. Your image and a clear message of your impact here will greet everyone as they enter. The Center will always be a manifestation of that messy space between what students learn in the classroom and practice outside the classroom. It will be the place on the UWSP campus that exudes life and all of life’s possibilities.

Those of us on staff who have been involved in the program and the design of the building are excited to see how the space unfolds as students make the building their own. Below are a couple of pictures from the naming ceremony.

It was a special day to honor a special man and his remarkable contributions to student life at UWSP.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

September 21, 2007

Classes are back in session, student organizations are up and running, programs are taking place and students are being active all around campus. Our students continue to do a great job of "managing" without their University Center but as we get closer, we are hearing from and more of them say, "Please, when we will be back in the UC?"

Trust me when I say, we are at least an anxious to get back into the building as the rest of campus. We want the construction project to be finished, the move behind us, and to be back to the business of serving students in the DUC and beyond.

So, what’s been happening in the building lately? We have a beautiful wood floor in the Laird Room.

The room looks great with the granite wall unveiled and the wood floor installed. The partitions have been installed and not only work great, they look great. It will be nice to be able to divide that large room into smaller meeting rooms and it’s even better because the rooms look great even when divided.

Most of the work in the past two weeks has been site work. The fences around the building are coming down and being replaced with orange snow fencing (because they are moving them so often). The sidewalks on the west, southeast and north sides of the building have been poured and the work on the pergola continues.

On the inside, we have carpet in the student lounges, the meeting rooms, and all of the offices. The glass rail system for the ramps and concourse is up and the safe for the Campus Information and Ticket Center has been installed (no small feat, that is a heavy piece of equipment!). After many weeks of very hard work, almost all of the granite flooring has been installed, there is a little left to do on the north end of the concourse and in the south vestibule. Miron Construction and the sub contractors are working to put the final finishes and the punch list items to get closer to completion.

Starting Monday, the campus Facility Services staff will begin training on all of the new mechanical equipment that runs the heating and air conditioning systems for the building. We have an extremely energy efficient heating and cooling system with highly technical control systems. Good thing our campus physical plant staff has everything under control!

Furniture review and selections are on going and we are making progress on final orders. We might actually have some places for people to sit when we open!!

Have a great weekend.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

August 9, 2007

"What is that thing they are adding to the front of the UC?"

I get that question a lot as do my colleagues. If you haven’t been by the building lately, or looked at the webcam, the crew has been busy pouring footings and laying brick for the pergola.

What, you ask, is a pergola? A pergola is a shaded walkway or passage way, often made of wood, brick or metal and eventually covered with plants. Here is a link from Wikipedia with a pretty nice image of a pergola that is similar in nature to the design of the one for the UC. Ours will be wood and brick and eventually vine covered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pergola

This is a design element of the building and addresses the need to “create a more welcoming entrance to the building. Plus we all got to learn a new word (including the contractors!).

Tuesday and Wednesday, August 14 and 15 we begin training on the food service equipment in the kitchen. The production staff from Dining Services will be in the building learning how to operate the new pizza oven, steamers, grills, fryers, coffee makers and all of the other new equipment. The suppliers of the equipment will be here to train the staff on how to operate them and Mike Skeels will be learning along with the production staff so he know how to fix them then he needs to (not sure what we would do without Mike!). Jerry Lineberger and I will be along for the ride, because someone needs to eat the samples that they prepare for training!

The snow fencing on the south side of the building is coming down today and hopefully that means the sidewalk will be open next week. Chris Brindley and his staff will be able to get in and start weeding the flower beds along the south side that they haven’t been able to get to since last summer. They are pretty much a mess right now.

The concourse granite flooring is being installed and that project will continue for the next several weeks. I’ve heard that it will take up to five weeks to complete this process. It looks beautiful though! They will begin the installation of the wood floor in the Laird Room late next week. There is a flurry of finishing work going on right now and it feels like we are getting close!!

Have a great rest of the summer. I may not have time to blog for awhile but watch for new pictures.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

July 26, 2007

It’s been another month since I’ve written a blog. Sometimes it seems like there are very few major changes taking place (worth writing about) and other times I can’t believe how much is getting done. Since June 11, here’s what has been happening in the Dreyfus University Center.

The third floor (formerly known as the second floor) is essentially finished. The rooms are cleaned, the "punch list" of details to be finished is written and being worked on and our staff is now looking at some minor work that we are responsible for (like existing wall painting).

The kitchen and servery area is cleaned and ready for equipment testing (which is tentatively scheduled for the 2nd week in August). Once that is completed, we will begin the dining services staff training process. Most of the finishing work in the dining room is being completed this week and soon that area will be ready for furniture.

Probably the two most exciting developments in the last two weeks have been in the concourse and with the site work. The wood paneling and ceiling are now installed. The pictures below show the progress on the ceiling and the wall paneling. The addition of the wood not only adds to the aesthetics of the space, it really "quieted down" the space and made the concourse feel comfortable (even with air guns being used!).

The exterior site work is really moving along. The sidewalk under the west side addition is almost 80% complete, the large planters are poured, and the irrigation lines are run for them. Right now, the planters look very big and empty. We will be anxious to see what Chris Brindley and the Grounds staff come up with for plans for those planters. Knowing the great work they have done in other areas on campus, I’m sure they will develop these very visible planters into something spectacular! The contractors are also pouring the sidewalk between the UC and the Communication Arts Center this week so hopefully, we will finally get the walkway between these two buildings reopened. We had hoped to have this open last September. Best laid plans...

It’s been hot and my colleagues in Nelson Hall are wilting. The contractors working in the UC are very comfortable because they have been able to get the chillers up and running and are now the beneficiaries of having that work completed. Our staff will be happy to be back in air conditioning next summer!

Enjoy the rest of July!

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

June 11, 2007

This week, the core staff (Greg, Laura, Kathy, Jerry, Stephanie, Susan and I) will be doing a walk through of the building to begin the process of moving in. Now, since we won’t be actually moving in until November, what does mean? It means that we will begin the process of identifying what needs to be done before we open. Who is taking care of phones, will we need walk off mats, what about first aid kits, how about bulletin boards, what meeting rooms need screens and white boards, what rooms really need more technology than a white board, where will we put directional signs, etc, etc, etc? The greater part of tomorrow is going to be “oh boy, what have we not thought about!”

Next week, we will have a milestone event for the project. The food service consultant, John Birchfield, of Birchfield and Associates of Baltimore, MD, will be on campus to do the final check of the kitchen and servery area. This is called the “punch list” for the food service piece. John did the design, layout and equipment specification for the food service piece of the project. This milestone means that once the punch list corrections are made, we can begin scheduling staff training on the new cooking and service equipment and setting up the supply and store rooms.

The parking lot north of the building (lot Z) and the lot adjacent to Delzell Hall, have been demolished. We should see the new pavement and the new parking lot layout in late July. The new parking lot configuration will help address the pedestrian concerns crossing Reserve Street between the LRC and the UC by eliminating the driveway into the lot from Reserve Street. There are also some changes to lot C taking place in tandem with the UC project that should improve parking behind Delzell Hall.

I’m going to end with a picture. Take a look at the late night dining area in this picture. Can you guess what this space used to be? If you guessed the Encore, you were correct. The designers kept the great look of the brick and enhanced it with some great tile.

Enjoy the summer weather.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

May 11, 2007

"So, what about Haircraft? Where did that go?"

This was a question that came in from our Centers Renovation Questions and Comments link this week. Since the author didn't leave an e-mail address, I don't have a way to respond directly. I decided it would be a great topic for a blog. Since this is the second blog this week, I am making up for some of the "dry spells" there have been over the past several months.

Haircraft, our hair salon, was closed in May when the building closed. Sarah Ross, the operator of the salon, relocated her business to the Hair Performers in Park Ridge. There will be another hair salon in the University Center when we reopen next year. The salon will be located on the upper level of the Concourse, facing Reserve Street.

The salon is a contracted service which means that it is not operated by staff of the University. We solicit bids from companies or individuals interested in providing hair salon services on campus, and the successful bidder then operates the salon for the period of the contract. Other services on campus that are contracted include our dining services program, custodial operations for the three University Centers buildings (Allen, DeBot and the University Centers), banking and massage therapy, and a variety of other system and equipment maintenance services.

The concourse area of the University Center will have a nice mix of services and gathering spaces. The ground or first level will have the Campus Information and Ticket Center (combining the Box Office and the Campus Information Center into one service center), a Café featuring coffees, ice cream, smoothies, bakery and sandwiches that will have an organic emphasis, and a full service bank operated by U.S. Bank.

On the upper level, next the hair salon will be a computer lab, a Copy Center (with copies, faxes, binding, lamination, etc), the Point Card Office, Multicultural Resource Center, and the Centertainment Office. Located throughout these spaces are several lounges for relaxing, studying, meeting, and sleeping.

Today is the last day of classes for the spring semester. Copper Fountain is tonight on the Intramural Fields. Good weather, good friends, good music and fun celebrity services in the beverage service area. Sounds like a recipe for fun!

"It will be great when it's done"

Susan

May 8, 2007

Chairs here, chairs there, chairs, chairs everywhere. Tomorrow, we have a presentation by the interiors staff of Perkins and Will Architects on interior selections (furniture pieces). The lobby of Nelson Hall is full of boxes of sample chairs that we will be moving over to the University Center in the morning for the meeting in the afternoon.

Cindy Von Gnechten of Residential Living has been working with a group of about six Interior Architecture students on the furniture selection process. This group, over the past several months, created a document for Perkins and Will that outlined the spaces in the building, how those spaces would be used and maintained, and what, if any, furniture from "pre renovation" might be utilized. To create this document, they have had to look at the floor plans, visit the construction site, research the inventory records we have from our closing, and think about how the spaces might be used.

The May 9th meeting is the third meeting in a series that we have had with the interiors selection committee. The hope from tomorrow's meeting is to narrow down the selections to an "almost there" list of recommendations. Once we get a smaller list of pieces to consider, we will begin the procurement (purchasing) process since the furniture isn't part of the project. We are really excited about the variety of furniture we will be considering and I personally am grateful for the student involvement we have gotten from our Interior Architecture students.

In addition to the furniture selection process, we are looking at signage programs, a synchronized clock system, audio visual equipment and storage systems for our storage rooms. These are all items that are not part of the construction project budget and will be provided "by owner".

Last week at the Retired Faculty Reception in the Noel Fine Arts Center, Chancellor Bunnell referred to the Dreyfus University Center as a "handsome" building. I've received many positive comments from the campus and the community on the beauty and drama of the architecture. I encourage you to take a drive by or a look through the webcam if you haven't lately. There's a lot to see.

These two pictures are of the Albertson Learning Resource Center lawn today, looking out from the new second floor computer lab. It was a beautiful day and a group of elementary school students on campus for a museum and planetarium tour were taking advantage of the good weather to have their lunch outside.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

April 13, 2007

A website visitor posted a question to our website this week asking if the dining facilities in the UC would be available in September 2007. The answer to that question is “no”. We had never planned to be open in September of 2007.Initial plans were that construction would be finished in September and we would then begin the move in and training process in October 2007.

Because of a variety of issues that have come up during the course of the demolition and reconstruction, we are now looking at “substantial completion” in late October/early November. As a staff, we are beginning to plan for the move back into the building and the re-opening based on the best scheduling information we have. In general terms, we anticipate being fully operational with the start of second semester next year, in January 2008.

Some may wonder “substantial completion” means. It doesn’t mean “open for business” It means that the majority of the work is done and the contractors can be paid for the majority of the work. It doesn’t mean that all of the necessary testing and air balancing is done (which needs to be done before we can occupy the space). So, if there are any problems with life safety, mechanical system or general equipment testing, we will not be able to have staff working in the building (to prepare to open) until the issues with the testing are resolved.

I am asked daily, “When will you be open?” What I have been telling people is that it took us 4 months to move out of the building (granted, we took this much time to accommodate the needs of students and the campus community) but it will take us several months to get all of the units moved back into the building, all of the furniture and equipment set up and tested, and our staff trained on the new systems in the building. This has to happen before we open as we don’t want to be doing “on the job” training with cooking equipment, lighting and sound systems and building mechanical systems. We would rather not have to evacuate the building because of random fire alarms going off or for any other untimely utility interruptions (especially not in the winter).

Another factor we need to take into consideration is the disruption of services to the campus during a semester. We will manage the moves back to the UC with the least disruption to the students as possible, while still accommodating the needs of the staff that will be responsible for the actual moves back.

So, to answer the question, “Will there be food service in the University Center in September 2007”; the answer is “no”. We will not be open at any service level in September. The staff will meet next week to propose an opening plan, and once we have a tentative plan, we will share it with the campus. Certainly, we want to make sure people know what is being planned, before students leave for the summer!

If you get a chance to drive by the building, please do. The west addition has windows, doors and granite. The main entrance is almost ready for doors and once the doors are in, you will have a great view of the expanded concourse space. I’ll try and get some new pictures and post them soon.

Be patient.

"It will be great when it 's done"

Susan

March 21, 2007

It’s Spring Break! Finally! We’ve had a long winter in Stevens Point and a late one at that. Central Wisconsin received about 24 inches of snow in late February and early March, just when we were thinking about getting outside again. This week, we are seeing temperatures back up in the 50’s and the ground is thawing. There is hope for spring.

The UC project is moving forward but the warmer weather will be a welcome relief to the contractors who have been working outside all winter, battling cold, wind and snow. It’s amazing how much extra work it is for the contractors when it snows. They need to remove snow from not only the ground (parking lots and walkways) but also they end up moving snow off the roofs if the roof isn’t completely ready for that amount of weight or moisture, and uncovering their equipment and materials that are left outside. I was reminded often this winter how fortunate I am that I don’t work outside!

I have been giving tours on Fridays to a variety of groups including University Center staff and student employees, campus departments and members of the campus governance groups. Last Friday, I took the University Store/Text Rental staff through the building. Alice Stoffel, our newest staff person in the store took some pictures during the tour.

As you can see from Alice’s pictures, the concourse is enclosed, the concrete sub floor has been poured and windows are in place on the west side. If you stand on the south bridge that connects the east and west sides of the concourse and look north, there is an incredible view of the concourse. Standing on the bridge really gives you a sense of how interactive the space will be. I can’t wait for people to experience this space!

The theatre is enclosed and the contractors are starting to pour the steps. This is another great space and will be an exciting addition to our programming spaces. You can see a bit of how the theatre is shaping up by looking at the picture below.

The final picture is of the store staff during our tour. Sally, Marie, Stephanie, Alice and Pat all got an up close and personal look at the store and text rental area during our tour I could hardly get them out of there to look at the rest of the building.

Last week was Dean Henrickson (our project manager from Miron Construction)’s last day. We are sorry to see him leave but he is on to bigger and better things. He often ended the 8 AM foremen’s meeting each morning by saying, “let’s build us a student union”. Thanks Dean for a great start to our student union. Sean Piece is our new project manager and I am confident he will finish the great start Dean started.

Happy Spring Break

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

March 2, 2007

It's been another long stretch since I’ve written a blog. The time just seems to fly by and so much is happening with the project (on site and in meetings related to the project). So, what’s new?

1. The theatre has a roof (see one of the new pictures on the web site) and they’ve started to pour the floors for this space. The Encore walls are up and we have been looking at ways to incorporate the existing brick(s) on the walls into the look of the space.
2. The west addition of the building (the concourse area) has glass in the window openings now instead of plastic sheeting. It’s amazing how much natural light comes in from the windows. We still have dirt on the concourse floor though so it’s a bit rough looking yet!
3. The hoods for the cooking equipment are being set in place. Some of them are really large and in fact become part of the aesthetics of the space (meaning they are meant to be seen!).

That is an outline of the major construction work taking place. Beyond that, we have started working with a committee of students and staff, under the direction of Cindy Von Gnechten, Interior Designer (and UWSP graduate) for Residential Living, on the furniture selection process. We had a kick off meeting about three weeks ago and next week we will meet again to look at the first round of prospects for furniture and colors.

Another group of students under the direction of Jerry Lineberger of the Centers has been working on the food service options and hours of operations for the dining spaces. They have been working with Chartwells, our dining contractor, to develop concepts, menu items and possible pricing structures. Some of the discussions have been around incorporating vegan and vegetarian items, locally grown produce, and maintaining a wide variety of options that will appeal to the entire student population.

Enjoy the snow!

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

January 30, 2007

This blog entry was written by Kristie Chappa, former chair of the University Centers Advisory and Policy Board.

Thanks again for giving the tour today. I really enjoyed it! It made me feel special. :)

The tour of the DUC today was amazing!! I had quite a bit of insight prior to the renovations just from talks during UCAPB, talking with Jerry, Susan, Kathy, Laura, and even my student manager, Adam. But I didn't expect to see what I saw today or feel what I felt today as I walked through!

I was all smiles because it is all coming along so well. The point that sticks in my mind the most is that the project is so student-oriented, which is how it should be, but at the same time, they are also keeping in mind convenience and better working conditions for the staff and guests that also frequent the building.

I was very surprised and pleased to hear how unique our student union project is compared to some of the other student union projects on other campuses. We have a full-time DUC staff member who is there to give input on a daily basis to make sure the goals of the project are met. Well done Susan!! And well done to the architects and contractors who are figuring out ways to deal with all of the challenges along the way with such a crazy building!

It was also interesting to learn about the number of different things that really needed to be done to make the building safer as far as infrastructure whether or not we went ahead with these major renovations.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT WHEN IT'S FINISHED!!

I feel very lucky that I will get the opportunity to work in the renovated building before I graduate next May.

Kristie Chappa

"It will be great when it 's done"

January 26, 2007

I took a group of students into the building this morning. It was so much fun to see the building through their eyes! We had the past and present chair of the University Centers Advisory and Policy Board (UCAPB) along with another member of this board. UCAPB is the governance group that allows students to have a voice in what happens in the Centers and with their fees. This is the group that approved the funding for the project and it was great to get some of the current members into the building.

Kristie, the former chair of UCAPB, at one point during the tour looked at me and said “I can't stop smiling. This is all so cool”. Kristie was involved in several of the fine detail discussions on what types of food venues we wanted and what type of amenities we wanted in the theatre. Seeing the fruits of her involvement was exciting for her and very cool for me. The positive reactions from these students reaffirmed that we are on the path to creating a very unique environment for the UWSP students and campus community.

The pictures below are of the development of the theatre and Encore area. This southwest section of the building is starting to take shape. You can see how the sloped floor is being set and where the “front” of the space will be. The Encore is still a lot of concrete and steel and the shape isn't complete yet. In about a month, this space will be “easier” to see.

Some other updates on the status of the project…The Laird Room has the brick on the walls, some granite on the front wall of the room, the tracks for the dividers are in place and some of the upper level dry wall is finished, waiting for paint. The wood floor will be one of the last finishes in this room. The restrooms on the 2nd level have been tiled and are waiting for fixtures. As I walk through these rooms I am reminded of some of the decisions we made (like having “doorless” restrooms) to make the building more accessible and convenient. The painters are starting to paint in the kitchen and dining rooms (we have chocolate brown paint in the dining room- fitting isn't it!?), getting ready for light fixtures and ceiling treatments.

The west addition is almost framed in. We can now walk on the upper level from the north to the south, walking past what will be the computer lab, copy center, Haircraft, outdoor terrace, Point Card Office and the Multicultural Resource Center. These spaces will be very open and accessible from the walkways that cross over from the main building.

Since it's almost the end of January, I can say we will be thinking about starting our move back into the building in seven or eight months. The time is really flying by.

I'll post more pictures today or Monday of the updates. Until then, enjoy the snow!

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

December 27, 2006

It's a very quiet week on campus but the contractors at the UC site are busy working (not much down time in the construction business). I spent some time in the building this morning, checking out the progress and thinking about the next month, and what progress we will see during that time.

During December, I was able to get all of our staff who were interested in a tour, into the building. My plan in January and February is to begin taking groups of students including our Centers Student Managers, the Centers Advisory and Policy Board and Student Government. I have also had a number of requests from staff on campus interested in taking a look at the progress. Since we need to limit the size of the group and really can only do them on Fridays when the job site is quieter, it will take several months to get everyone who wants to take a tour through the building.

The last group I took through included a couple of UC staff and the staff from the MCRC (the Multicultural Resource Center). The MCRC staff is housed on the 3rd floor of Nelson Hall with me and since I had a small group last Friday, I was glad to bring them along with us. They were all very excited and will be great ambassadors for us in telling students about the project. Thanks to Rosario, Laurie and Ron for walking along with us.

This week, the contractors are planning to set the chiller in place. We have been waiting for about a month for this very large piece of equipment to get to campus. It needs to be placed into the building through the openings in the walls that have been created. This will also allow those same openings to the building to be closed up. (The plan was to set it on Wednesday (today) but this morning, a call came in and it has been delayed until Friday.)

The west addition is scheduled for another "deck pour" on Friday December 29 along with the chiller placement. Each time they do another deck pour, we can see another level of the concourse take shape. I asked Sean, the supervisor of the crew working on the west addition, when we would see that area enclosed and he thought within four weeks. Once that is done, we will really be able to "see" that new space. The picture below shows what the concourse will look like and how it will be open to the west side spaces and the lounge adjacent to the Laird Room.

The picture of Jerry Lineberger shows the depth and length of one of the "Centercase for Art" display cases. There are three double cases that run along the front of the Laird Room. This replaces the Centercase for Art case that was along the south side of the Laird Room. We will have more space for two and three dimensional art pieces to be displayed in a very prominent location.

The administration complex has been painted. The main reception desk area is purple and the rest of the complex is a light yellow (keeping with the UWSP color scheme). It's still amazing to me that four months ago, part of that space didn't exist.

More in 2007.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

December 13, 2006

Well, I did not deliver a second article the week of November 14 as promised. In fact, I'm about a month late! Time is just flying by.

Over the past three weeks, I have been able to give tours to almost all of the University Centers full time staff and several of the key players in the dining services team. Having the opportunity for the staff to see the development of the space has been helpful for them and for me. For example, Mike Skeels, our resident expert in facilities and maintenance, made several suggestions during a tour he was on that we were able to incorporate that will make the building more functional. He sees things I don't see.

Even though it is mid-December and beyond what most of us think of as traditional exterior construction season, work continues to proceed on the west addition of the building. Today is another major concrete deck pour and the crew has set up temporary heat and enclosures in the areas being poured. Concrete trucks just keep rolling in and rolling out. It's an amazing process to watch. If you haven't taken the time to check out the web cams on the LRC and CAC, please do. You can link to them at: http://www.uwsp.edu/centers/construction

In the past four weeks, the following things have been taking place:

• Mechanical equipment delivered and set in place (like air handlers and fans); we are still waiting for the major piece, the new chiller.
• The walls are set up and drywall added to the Laird Room, the storage rooms, and a few smaller conference rooms around the Laird Room. They are working on the support systems for the portable walls that will divide the Laird Room into up to five smaller rooms.
• Plumbing work is beginning on the restrooms adjacent to the Laird Room and that crew is also working to finish the trenching work in the lower level for waste removal.
• The electricians continue their work on running the electrical for lights and power in almost all areas of the building.
• Concrete block is being added to the west addition and the interesting angles of that section of the building are developing.
• The outside walls for the new glassed wall area (former patio and "smoking lounge area" facing south) are up and provide a much more attractive view toward the south side of campus.

We are getting close to finals week at UWSP and soon students will be gone for semester break. I think they will be surprised at the amount of change they will see on the west addition when they return. We also hope to have the sidewalk between the Communication Arts Center and the University Center open before they return. I'm sure the staff of the CAC would like that sidewalk opened up as well!

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

November 14, 1006

The past six weeks have been a blur……and I haven't had the time to write my blog. I'll try and get two in this week because there is too much to write about in one.

A lot of work has been done inside and outside of the building since October. One of the most visible changes was the removal of the "blue wall" on the east side of the building, along Fremont Street. I've included two images that I took during the removal process. For about a week, after the panels and glass were removed, you could see through the building to wall paper, duct work and kitchen construction because the spaces were open to the outside. The blue curtain was not only an eye sore; it was also a very energy inefficient exterior surface. I will include pictures of the new wall with the next blog.

The addition above the food service loading dock is completed on the exterior. The block and brick are up and the windows are in. This area will house the new administration complex and event planning units. The contractors have the stud walls up and the sheet rock in place. During a tour last week with several of the center staff, we were able to get a better feel for the space (and consequently asked for some minor changes in wall heights and lengths to create a more open and welcoming space). The restrooms on the 2nd floor have the walls and plumbing in place. These restrooms are much bigger than the previous set on this floor and have a much better layout.

Another area that has really moved along in the past several weeks is the layout of the kitchen and dining rooms. The stud wall partitions for the dish room, pot and pan washing areas, kitchen staff office, and general cooking and preparations area are in place. We are able to see the layout and how the work will flow through the space. It will be much more efficient than the former kitchen layout and more functional for the staff working in this area. There will also be natural light in the kitchen because of some well placed windows. I think the staff will love that!

The servery area is also taking shape. Standing in the center of the area, I can get a sense of where people will enter the food court area, where the various food stations will be and where they will exit. The space seems spacious right now; wait until all of the food service equipment gets added.

The seating and dining area is along the south side of the building, facing the Student Services Building, the Communication Arts Center, and the Iris Fountain. This space, in my opinion, is one of the most improved areas in the building. We have added several large windows along this section of the building and what a difference the presence of natural light makes! These large windows will help create a very comfortable area for dining and also for students to study or gather. We are excited about this feature of the dining room!

So, that's a bit of a catch up on what's been happening at 1015 Reserve Street. I will write another blog this week with what is happening on the west side of the building with the additions for the Encore, Theatre and Concourse.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

October 6, 2006

Today I had the pleasure of taking Dr. Bob Tomlinson, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and Deb Anstett Director of Development for the UWSP Foundation Office, on a tour of the construction site. It is always interesting to see people's reaction to the project and to remember that unless you go into the building every day like I do, it's hard to get your bearings when you do go inside.

Other than in the lower level, there have been so many major structural changes to the spaces, people struggle trying to find a landmark that will help them put into perspective where they are when moving throughout the building. It's also really a challenge trying to find ways to go upstairs or down as most of the stairways have been removed (and I don't like to use the elevators in the building because I just can't believe with all of the demolition around them, they are still actually working!).

This week, the roof for the Laird Room has been installed, the north wall of the building was removed, the concrete floors poured for the 2nd level addition, walls put up in the new kitchen and dining room area, more footings and foundations poured on the west side of the building, the old elevator shaft in the kitchen closed up, and a lot of plumbing and mechanical work completed.

One of the more fascinating processes to watch this week was the setting in place of the very large electrical duct bank on the north side of the building. On Wednesday, the driveway for parking lot C was closed and Precision Excavating came in and dug a great big hole right in the driveway of the lot. Once the hole was dug, a very large concrete box was set into place using a huge crane. This duct bank is the point where the main electrical lines connect from the south and west. In the pictures I posted this week, there is a picture or two of the box and its location. I was amazed at how big this structure was.

Enjoy the pictures! I am on vacation next week so unless one of my colleagues steps up and writes a guest blog for me……there won't be another blog until mid-October.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

September 29, 2006

Today's topic is sustainability. Governor Doyle was on campus this week challenging UWSP to become energy independent within five years. To accomplish this challenge, the entire campus will need to make changes and sacrifices.

Green Design:
One of the goals of the DUC renovation project was to incorporate green design into the building. We were fortunate to have been able to rely in Perkins + Will to guide us in developing sustainability features in the building. The following information is from the Perkins + Will website:

Perkins+Will has the highest number of U.S. Green Building Council LEED® Accredited Professionals in North America, with nearly half of the firm's professionals accredited.

Their expertise in suggesting cost effective and realistic solutions helped the committee make good decisions in design while incorporating sustainability. While our building will not be officially LEED certified, the design elements in this project follow the guidelines for a Silver Rated LEED Building.

On this website, there is a link for sustainability. I encourage you to take a look at the information on that site. There is a letter from Tom Twohig of SDS Architects, outlining the sustainable features that were incorporated into the design. It's written is a very concise and easy to read format.

Recycling:
Earlier this summer, I was approached from a campus leader about the amount of debris that was being hauled out of the construction site and presumably taken to a landfill. So, I did some checking. Below is a table that summarizes the waste/recycling reports that we receive from the contractors.

We are currently recycling 87% of the debris from the construction site. This figure does not include wood because we aren't able to easily convert wood to tons. The 1830 tons of concrete is being used as road base on highway project. The recycled metal is used in manufacturing processes that can use recycled metal. The numbers are as high as they are because the contractors are doing an outstanding job of separating the materials when they clean up the demolition areas. If the materials were mixed, they would not accepted by that specific recycling company.

I have a lot more to share about how we are incorporating sustainable practices into the DUC project and this blog is long enough for today. Take a look at the webcam, the roof is going back on the Laird Room, Reserve Street is closed to vehicles to allow safer passage for pedestrians and better access to the west side addition to the contractors, the addition on the northeast side is almost completed (the brick anyway), duct work for the heating and cooling systems are starting to be hung in the dining rooms and the lower level and footings for the southwest corner of the building are being poured. We see great progress every day!

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

September 19, 2006

Wow, it's been crazy since the school year started. Students are back, trying to find their way around campus and figuring out where to study, eat, relax, surf the net, etc, all the things that were done in the UC in the past. This will be a different year for all everyone but it will be great when we get back to a building again!

The roof has been off of the LaFollette Lounge and Laird Room for the past two weeks. The contractors started the process of putting the steel structures in place for the new roof system which will allow for the Laird Room expansion to all be at the same ceiling height. The work on the west side addition (new concourse areas) is continuing and the floor supports are being laid so the concrete floor can be poured and work can be started on the 2nd floor concourse addition.

The pictures below are part of a mural that was discovered during the demolition process in what was the Wooden Spoon dining room.

The art was painted in 1977 by T.G. and in 1981 was covered with wall covering.

In about 2001, we took down the wall covering and replaced it with a mural painted by Melanie Balsis, a graphic design student.

There were two other murals discovered during the demolition phase; one of a snow capped mountain and skiing scene, painted by Brenda Ellis and Bruce Hinze while they were UWSP students, and an airbrushed rendition of a billiards table with cues and balls painted by wildlife artist Sharon Anderson while she was a UWSP student. These two were located in the lower level of the building in the area that was Recreational Services and Jeremiah's.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

August 31, 2006

Check out the new pictures on the website. I took most of them yesterday. As you look at the pictures, hopefully you will get a sense that while demolition is still going strong, there is rebuilding taking place in other locations of the building. For example, several of the pictures are of the demolition of the main staircase (Fang 's Landing) in the center of the building. One of the demolition crew uses a remote controlled jack hammer to hammer out the concrete block and metal supports. You can 't tell by the pictures but the unit actually looks like a controller for a video game or a remote controlled car.

Another set of pictures is of the stairwell that went out on the south side of the Wooden Spoon dining room towards the Student Services Building. Scott West and others from the Admissions and Financial Aid offices have a great view of this part of the project! Eventually, this stairway will be extended out toward the SSC building and re-enclosed, creating some additional space in the new dining room.

On the rebuilding side, the administration complex offices on the west side were framed in this week. The east side of the complex doesn 't exit yet (the addition over the food service loading dock and storage space) but the schedule has framing taking place on the west side already. The area in the pictures will eventually be the new "event planning" area of the administration complex, housing Centers Reservations, Program Services, Catering and Conference and Reservations.

The final pictures were of the west side addition columns. It 's quite a process to pour the footings for these columns and make sure they are strong enough to support the building around them. If you look closely, there is a construction worker on the top of a ladder, working hard to direct the funnel that runs the concrete into the form that house the structural steel and with the concrete, forms the columns. It 's a fascinating process to watch the craftsmen at work. Not for those of you with a fear of heights though!

According to the schedule provided by Miron yesterday at the progress meeting, over the next two weeks they will be working on: Starting the 200 level additional addition (facing Delzell Hall) Continuing the west side foundation work (for the concourse addition) Taking out block to create new windows in the dining rooms Setting up for the electrical and plumbing rough ins for the store.

Have a great weekend!

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

August 29, 2006

For those of you watching from the webcam, or up close and personal from Reserve Street, you will have no doubt have seen the large hole that was dug a few weeks ago in the south west corner of the site. This hole was to prepare for the relocation of the steam lines and communication utilities in anticipation of the addition that will house the new theatre.

At the first meeting with the contractors, I mentioned that there was a time capsule buried somewhere in the general area of the new theatre and if, during the excavation process, they happened to find out "time capsule (which was really a food service white pickle bucket that was sealed with silicone), we would really appreciate having it back. The capsule was buried in 1984 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original University Center by Bob Busch, former Director of the University Center and Ray Konkol, former Director of Centers Maintenance. After much discussion, we determined our best guess was in the general location of a sidewalk that ran between Reserve Street and the Communication Arts Center.

About two weeks ago, Jerry Lineberger and I were walking back from the University Center construction site when I got a call from Jerry Walters. The demolition crew found our time capsule! It 's been moved to a secure site in Nelson Hall where it will sit until later this fall when it will be opened during Centers Celebration, a program that celebrates the accomplishments of the student employees of the Centers.

Since the capsule was buried 22 years ago, many of the students attending Centers Celebration weren 't even born yet. Should be fun to see what was in it! Thanks to the crew at Precision Grading and Utility, the excavation team, for finding the time capsule for us! The contractors are busy this week trying to finish up work so we can reopen the sidewalk between the CAC and the UC since we have students arriving back on campus at the end of this week.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

August 18, 2006

Hope you have enjoyed the blog on dining services written by Jerry Lineberger and the project perspective from Greg Diekroeger. I put up some new pictures today from the tour that Greg and I took last week. We are also trying to add some comments or identifiers to the pictures so people will know what they are looking at.

Over the next two to three weeks the contractors will be working on the south stairwell demolition (the stairwell that faces the Student Services Center), pouring new elevator foundations, continuing to pour the foundations for the west side addition (the new concourse area) and the demolition on the Laird Room roof membrane. In the next few weeks, the roof over the Laird Room will actually be removed to get ready to create the roof structure over the expanded Laird Room. It would be great to see a shot of this from an elevator. Maybe I 'll see what the view is from the upper floors of the hospital and if I can get a shot when that roof comes off, I 'll put it on the web site.

For those of you who had the pleasure of taking the "secret tunnel" tour behind the bookstore, that tunnel is almost completely gone as a result of some massive demolition.

This week, we met with Paul Neuhaus of Perkins and Will and Tom Twohig of SDS Architects to review the interior colors and materials proposed for the project. The selections support the school colors of purple and gold without overdoing them and reinforce the natural resource emphasis of campus through good use of earth tones. For those of you interested, we have the boards in Nelson Hall and will be happy to show them to you. Give me a call.

Next week, Stephanie Hammer (student renovation committee chair) will be back from her summer student program in London. We are starting to see more and more students back on campus. I will try to include thoughts from some on the progress we made over the summer on the project in an upcoming blog.

Susan

"It will be great when it 's done"

August 10, 2006

Guest: Greg Diekroeger

Have you ever seen a large wall of brick and concrete get knocked down by a very large back hoe??? Or, have you ever heard a large wall of brick and concrete get knocked down??? I must admit that it is an impressive sight and sound – especially when you are standing about 75 ' away from the action. This is one of the many parts of demolition that I was able to observe during my tour of the UC with Susan and Demolition Foreman Bob Patoka last week.

Demolition continues on many parts of the building. The north entrance near Delzell Hall is completely gone and the south entrance near the Student Services building was being dismantled as we were touring. The flooring from the old Pointer Express was being hammered out and debris was being carried away from the area where the Information Center once stood. There are many impressive piles of metal, wire, and various other materials throughout the building that will all be recycled. Even during the demolition phase the project is showing concern for the environment!

I was amazed at the organization of the demolition process. Obviously, the order in which parts of the building are being taken apart is crucial to the overall construction schedule, the structural integrity of the building, and the safety of all the workers on the site. All of the details are being closely watched and managed by the foremen and the construction crews.

Equally impressive is the construction staff 's ability to multi-task. While much of the demolition work has been completed, there is still a lot to do. However, the construction phase has also started on the northwest corner of the building where the concrete footings for the building have already been poured. This is happening while the debris from what was the southwest corner of the building is still being hauled away! (I can 't seem to type and talk on the phone at the same time, much less build anything.)

I took the opportunity to stand where I was guessing the south end of the new Laird Room would be located and looked north. While it was somewhat difficult to envision what the new room will look like –especially since I could see straight through the building to the north – it was exciting to think about the possibilities that this new space will provide our campus for activities, events, meetings, programs, or whatever. I 've heard some of my colleagues comment that they are sad to see parts of the UC being demolished. I have to agree that it is a little sad to see parts of the building go away that will never return. But the prospect for new areas to become the new hang outs, programming spaces, retail shopping areas and dining spots is truly exciting.

A lot of work has been done in 2 months and I appreciated the opportunity to see first hand what has happened. It is my hope to be writing a guest blog again in 2 months after I get another update tour of the University Center. Susan is correct when she says, "it will be great when it is done.

August 10, 2006

Guest: Jerry Lineberger

A keystone component of the new University Center will be the new dining areas. During the last year of planning many students voiced their opinions on what should be included in the new facility.

On the new, larger, concourse area will be a combination Café and small convenience store. Options for dining will include freshly made coffees, Cappuccino, Smoothies, and an assortment of cold beverages, as well as fresh morning bakery items, soft serve ice-cream, and made to order hot and cold sandwiches. For those on the run, there will also be packaged snacks, bottled beverages, and bakery.

The new dining and seating area on the second level (generally in the former Pointer Express area) will be a MAJOR change from the previous look. A late night pizza and grill area approximately in the area of the old Encore will feature an open-flame, gas-fired pizza oven, with two fireplaces and lots of casual seating. This area will be the late night place to be in the UC!

Nearby will be the several themed serving concepts. We have, with student input, created several very flexible serving areas which will allow us to change what is offered as frequently as the tastes of the campus change. A quick walk around the wide open area will take you to the quick service beverage, bakery, sandwich service, an Eastern/Asian area, a Southwestern/Mexican area, Soup and Salad, a new home for "The Deli Ladies", and the American Grill with traditional burgers, chicken, and fries. The completely reconfigured seating area will have a great overview to the south fountain and seating area the UC.

We will be working with students and our dining services contractor over the coming year to refine exactly what is served and exactly how the serving and seating areas look and feel. We are really looking forward to the planning of the details and very excited to get your input on the new programs for the UC!! Keep your eye on"Susan 's Blog" site as newly developed concepts for seating and themes for dining areas are developed!

August 2, 2006

The next blog is going to be written by the first of several "guest bloggers". Jerry Lineberger, Associate Director of the University Centers, will be addressing the topic of Dining Services. He will be writing about new venues and menus. It should be up early next week. Otherwise, check out the new photos by Tom Charlesworth of UWSP News Services in the photo section. He took some great shots of the demolition from above!

Susan
"It will be great when it 's done"

July 26, 2006

Demolition continues! Here is what will be taking place this week and next:

• Demolition in the bookstore and concourse areas
• Asbestos abatement in the 200 level completed and continues in the LaFollette Lounge Areas
• Excavation continues on the northwest corner.

Foundations are being poured for the west and north additions this week and early next week. After watching demolition for the past six weeks, it will be very exciting to see something start to go back up!

Jerry Lineberger, Kathy Paulson, Laura Ketchum-Ciftci and I traveled last Wednesday to River Falls to tour their "almost completed" new student union. Gregg Heinselman and his staff were very gracious hosts for our visit, providing us with a lot of good ideas and things to think about (since they are about 1 year ahead of us in this process!). River Falls will have a beautiful building with an incredible setting when they are done. Expected opening for them is January 2007.

On a side note......the UWSP Alumni Office received a call from a former student (class of 76) who now lives in Wrangell, Alaska. She heard about the UC renovation project from some natural resource students who are working in Alaska for the summer. She wanted to know if we kept a piece of art that she helped create that involved candy wrappers. I contacted her to let her know that the piece she was referring to had been hanging on the wall in the Encore and when we closed, we moved it to DeBot Center and it is know being used as a table in the Below DeBot area. There was a project in the 70 's that involved student art projects being made into table tops. Some of them were sold a few years ago but we did keep a few of them and the candy wrapper tabletop was one of them! It 's interesting to get questions and comments from former students who are following the UC project. Keep the questions coming!

Susan
"It will be great when it 's done"

July 17, 2006

I get many questions from people about the project (on funding, timing, student input, etc). I hope to use this blog to comment on some of the comments and questions I hear.

Student Input: Beyond the renovation committee, student focus groups, input from the Centers Policy Board, the Dining Committee and Student Government, we have looked for ways to get students involved in the project. One great example of this involved the University Store/Text Rental and the Interior Architecture students enrolled in IA 305 during the Spring 2006 semester. Cindy Engstrom and Sally Reese of the Store and Text Rental worked with the students (and Katja Marquart, the faculty person for the class) on their project.

Sally 's perspective on the project was:

• We were invited to be the "client" for the IA 305 course - Store remodel project
• Cindy and I met with the class to share our history, mission, uniqueness, limitations, renovation goals, desires and current plans - to lay the groundwork for the project.
• IA 305 students surveyed UWSP students in the UC to get their perspective on the current Store and gathered info on what students would like to see in the Store/TR space.
• Details such as floor plans, space allotment, building specifications, etc. where shared
• Instruction on materials, fixtures, lighting, colors, ceiling/space limitations, rendering, etc. where ongoing throughout the semester
• About 10 students working in groups of 2 spent the semester preparing their final design presentations

Students designing a student space - what a concept!

Here is one photo from the final presentations the students did in May. The rest of the photos including images of the boards they created for the project are in the section titled "Pictures". We look forward to incorporating the student's ideas and designs into the new layout and look for the Store.

We 'll continue to look for ways to include students in the final phases of this project!

Susan
"It will be great when it 's done"

June 28, 2006

Well, demolition has begun and people who were wondering why the building was closed can now very easily see why the building is closed.

The demolition crew came in on Monday and started taking down the outside walls on the west side of the building. It was a little disconcerting watching them take out the windows and walls of our office complex. Now you can stand on Reserve Street and look directly into the building because the purple doors are gone (see the picture of mangled purple metal frames in the pictures section). If you look closely at the pictures, you can also see the stairs going up to the LaFollette Lounge and the elevator doors for the elevator that went into the bookstore. This is a good time to take a look at the webcam because you can actually see some of the demolition taking place.

Yesterday, I took my white hardhat and headed into the building for an update on the demolition from the inside. Dean, from Miron Construction, took me up to the 200 level of the building where the majority of the interior demolition is taking place. The hallway where Program Services and Centers Reservations were is now a big black hole with no hallway or office walls. This is in preparation for the development of the new administrative complex that will be built in this area and the addition being built to the east of the area (above the food service loading dock). The dining services offices are nothing more than a pile of rubble and pipes and wires in the ceiling. I tried to get some pictures of this area but with such low light levels, it 's tough. It 's a good thing I have sturdy (i.e. steel toed) shoes because the floor is covered with sharp objects and there are random things hanging from the ceilings.

Using the relocation map that our student graphic artists developed, we had some large vinyl banners made that are now hung on the fence in three different locations about the construction done. Hopefully, if people come to the UC and find it closed, they can refer to the maps to know where things have been relocated to and how to get there. The maps look great!

The contractors are taking off July 3 and 4 so it will be a short week of construction. We do have a progress meeting on Wednesday so I should have a good idea of what the next 3-4 weeks will have in store for us.

Enjoy the pictures. Ying, our web weaver, did something technical to make them load quicker for people from off campus. Not sure what she did, but thanks Ying, and thanks for the suggestion that we received from one of the site visitors!

Susan
"It will be great when it 's done"

June 22, 2006

We are in week two of the construction project. The fence is up around the building, it looks a bit like a prison right now. I think once they actually start to do exterior demolition, it will begin to look more like a construction zone than a correctional facility! We did ask the contractors to create a new sidewalk between the fence and the Communication Arts Center to help facilitate traffic between south side of campus and the north side and the sidewalk is now in place.

We had our first service disruption on Tuesday (the chiller in the UC was shut down for part of the day, meaning SSC, CAC and Old Main had no air conditioning for several hours). I 'm sure this is the first of many, as was pointed out to me by Mike Marksteiner, the planned ones are easy. It 's the ones we don 't know about that cause problems!

The demolition crew started taking out ceiling grids and lights in the concourse area this week. The asbestos abatement crew is getting ready to begin work in the Wooden Spoon and kitchen areas in preparation of the total demolition of those areas. We hadn 't anticipated the amount of water used in this type of abatement so thanks to the Miron crew, we got the filing and storage cabinets moved out of the Student Involvement complex (since it 's right below the Wooden Spoon area) and into the Brewhaus for safe keeping! Speaking of the Brewhaus, it 's become the contractors break and lunch room complete with tables, chairs, vending machines and a microwave.

Next week, I will try and get some demolition pictures to put up now that I have the approved shoes and hardhat to enter those areas.

Susan
"It will be great when it 's done"

June 15, 2006

Since this is my first blog entry, some background information.

I am Susan Crotteau, an Assistant Director for the University Centers at UW Stevens Point. For the past several years I have been working with the campus and our architects on the design and program for the Dreyfus University Center (DUC) remodeling project. We have had a terrific committee of people working on this project for a long time and we are all really excited to be moving from the design phase to the construction phase!

My official title during construction is "Owners Representative" which means I need to represent the interests and needs of the campus community to the contractors and the Wisconsin Department of State Facilities staff. We will all work as a team, along with the architects and engineers who have already worked hard to get us to this point, to get the building built (hopefully on time and within the budget). Since our students are the ones who are not only paying for the building project but also provided the overall programmatic direction for the project, we will work hard to make sure we are good stewards of their money.

On the construction calendar, this week is "mobilization". The contractors are getting their offices set up (in the former Campus Activities and Recreation Complex), the fences are going up around the building, the UWSP grounds staff is busy relocation plants to other areas on campus, etc. Lots of activities to get ready for the demolition to begin.

I 'll try and keep up with this at least weekly during the project.
"It will be great when it 's done"