Residence hall renovations stay on track for 2012

The new residence hall construction project took a big step towards completion over the summer as the NBC Village was demolished and plans for the new building are being finalized.

 "The three buildings were deconstructed and materials were salvaged for reuse and resale by the demolition director," JoAnn Rife, the planning director, said.

Rife mentioned that one of the materials salvaged was limestone, which will be reused in the landscaped seating area by the new dormitory.

"We started [demolition] in July," Tom Sonnleitner, vice chancellor of administrative services, said. "But we actually started taking stuff out of the buildings June 1st, so it's been about a two-and-a-half month process."

Tom Fojtik, director of Residence Life, said things seem to be going smoothly.

"The buildings came down a lot faster than expected," Fojtik said.

One of the main things affected by the demolition and construction was this year's freshman Odyssey.

"That particular area had a major impact on Odyssey, since that NBC area by Reeve couldn't be used for it," Sonnleitner said.

Rife said the start date of construction on the new dorm building isn't finalized, but they are expecting construction to start sometime in October. But, the building is still said to be on schedule for its July 2012 completion date.

According to Fojtik, they are having some trouble with permits right now.

"They're just trying to clarify what they can and can't do with the site," Fojtik said, "but they're in good shape overall."

The new residence hall still remains unnamed as well.

"We have not come up with a name," Fojtik said, "We're working on that."

Once construction on the new building starts, it shouldn't affect daily life and transportation around campus.

"It's kind of out of the way, so it won't impact going to classes and day to day it won't have too much of an impact," Sonnleitner said.

Fojtik also mentioned that everyone interested should check out the Residence Life website, www.housing.uwosh.edu for more information about the process. They have video of the NBC demolition as well as a camera set up on top of Scott Hall that allows you to see the construction taking place.