Campus Construction Continues as ASC Adjusts

Savannah Schlaufman
The Paw Print

For students who have attended a history class in the School of Business, or an English class in Porter Hall, it comes as no surprise that renovations to the English and Social Studies Building, soon to be named McDaniel Hall, are well underway.
The ES building is, for the large part, still in the demolition phase of renovation.  The third floor is in the beginnings of rebuilding.  Floor framing has begun and MEP systems are in the process of being installed.  Construction crews are still awaiting permission to remove asbestos from the second floor.
The construction on the ES is still set to be finished this fall.  The demolition stage is the most unpredictable, so a final completion date should be announced as demolition wraps up.
With the money for construction still coming from students’ capital fees, many have voiced concerns over the hiring of FCI to remodel the ES building. FCI handled the construction of the new, and still unfinished, Rex Stadium.
FCI bidded alongside nine different contractors for the job.  Ultimately, they offered the Adams State Executive Council the best value for their funding.  According to Erik van de Boogaard, Adams State Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, “There weren’t enough specifics to disallow them the job based on one project.”
While Rex Stadium was one project, there are currently many different people involved, and FCI successfully completed the renovations of Coronado A and D Wing and Giralt on time.  FCI has handled many construction projects for Adams in the past.  “I think you’ll see a totally different outcome than you saw on the Rex building,” commented Van de Boogaard.
The new ES will also come equipped with a new parking lot, which Van de Boogaard anticipates construction of the lot will start in March.  March will be a busy month for construction on campus as the renovations to the Music building will also begin that month.
As for Rex Stadium, Van de Boogaard believes that the student life portion of the building is “real close” to being completed.  However, construction did encounter a setback during the recent sub-zero freeze when a pipe burst and caused “quite extensive damage.”  However, it is not yet known how far back, if at all, this complication will push the completion date.