Summer construction projects begin

by Joe King

It happens every year: the weather warms, students leave and construction crews converge on campus. This year will be no exception, with 19 projects underway or poised to start within the next few weeks.

This year's projects range from relatively small undertakings to major construction.

They include:

• Expansion of the parking lot at the Human Resources building.
• Cleaning and repair of Davis Hall exterior stonework.
• Construction of a new walkway from Barsema Hall to Parking Lot A-1.
• Replacement of two bridges near the East Lagoon.
• Construction of a new, high-tech mock courtroom in Swen Parson Hall. Renovation of Chick Evans Field House.
• Replacement of the roof over the ballroom at the Holmes Center, and a remodeling of the ballroom itself.
• Reconstruction of the Visitor's Parking Lot.
• Reconstruction of the College Avenue turnaround in front of Altgeld Hall.
• Infrastructure improvements for a new chilled water cooling system on the East Campus.
• Reconstruction of Gilbert Drive.
• The start of construction of a new "clean room" at the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology

Details of all of those projects can be found online at www.niu.edu/improvements. The list will be updated periodically to track progress of the work.

4-28-03