Construction on campus
MarketPlace opens/University Union renovations complete
Since the start of the spring semester, students, faculty and staff have been enjoying the new Binghamton University MarketPlace in the University Union. An 18-month, $8-million project renovated the former Food Court and Susquehanna Room spaces and the merged areas now contain 12 food venues, a fireplace lounge and seating for more than 600.
A project that occurred in tandem with MarketPlace construction is also complete and several student service departments were relocated from various buildings across campus to the north end of the University Union in March. The $18.5-million project provided new office, tutoring and conference spaces for the Career Development Center, the Educational Opportunity Program, TRiO, the Center for Civic Engagement, the Office of External Scholarship, Fellowships and Awards and the Undergraduate Research Center. The project added a light-filled atrium with seating and views of the Peace Quad.
New main campus entrance signs unveiled
In January, a new, more prominent main campus entrance sign was unveiled. The goals of the project were to provide signage from both directions that is visible from a distance, provide lighting to emphasize signage for night-time viewing, frame the main entrance to Binghamton University to welcome visitors and students, and provide a strong image for the University at the main entrance.
The previous main entrance sign was damaged in a storm in 2011, and temporary signage had been in place since then. The new sign was designed by Physical Facilities Design Team members Monika Furch and Michele Deskin. A slideshow of the project is available online.
Re-purposing old campus buildings
Renovations of old Dickinson residential halls and the dining hall are progressing. These buildings are being re-purposed for academic use and will include academic departmental offices, classrooms as well as student-service functions such as admissions and financial aid. Significant work has been done in Old Rafuse, Old Digman, Old Whitney and Old Champlain halls, as well as in the former Dickinson Dining Hall. The buildings were essentially gutted late in 2013, and reconstruction has been under way since then. Most of the work is due to wrap up in time for the fall 2014 semester. The projects were featured recently in an article on re-purposing older campus buildings in University Business Magazine.
Projects garner economic development grants from NYSEG
Binghamton University applied for and received funding for two on-campus projects: the $30-million Center of Excellence building nearing completion on the ITC campus and the recently completed $33.6-million Science 5 building on the main campus. The funding, from NYSEG’s Utility Infrastructure Investment Program (UIIP), provides existing or prospective heavy use customers up to $400,000 per project to help offset the cost of electric infrastructure improvements. Mark S. Lynch, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E, presented Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger with two $400,000 economic development grants in January.
Physical Facilities crews busy this winter
The long, cold winter has kept Physical Facilities grounds and custodial crews exceptionally busy. Below-average temperatures and 89 inches of snow has meant the department used every piece of equipment on hand, including some tractors and snow blowers that have not been used in three years. Crews repeatedly have had to clear more than 6.3 miles of roadway, 23 miles of walkway, 35 acres of parking lots and 3.5 miles of service drives. Details about how the campus goes about this task can be found online.