Spring Break
The Daily OrangePlans for Ernie Davis Hall move forward despite setbacks
By Bethany Bump
Posted: 1/14/09, 3:46 AM EST Section: News
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McClafferty, a senior policy studies, religion and sociology major, said she was amazed by how much construction was done over break, especially with the Syracuse weather.
"I won't be sure what I think of it until it's done, though," she said.
The new residence hall at 619 Comstock Ave. began construction last February, and is slated to be complete in August. But the projected timeline for the building project was not without its setbacks.
Rex Giardine, assistant director of capital projects, said weather and financial problems occurred but have since been ironed out.
"The contractor has been striving to finish on time by working on several weekends," he said. "They've largely been able to catch up on things, though."
Giardine said changes in development plans for the building have been minor and taken care of.
The total cost of the construction project is $54 million. But with the nation's troubled economic climate this past year, prices for the delivery of construction equipment have increased.
The 140,000-gross-square-foot building is broken up into what Giardine calls bid packages. The structure, foundations, railings, equipment and other materials are separated into packages delivered to the university.
"We found that the bidding climate was a little tougher when gas prices were higher," Giardine said. "We had some packages that came in at a higher price, but it's evened out now and gone back down."
The projected nine-floor residence hall is now an eight-floor concrete and scaffolding skeleton visible to main campus. The hall will house 250 first-year students and upperclassmen. It will offer 125 single rooms designed for upperclassmen and split-double rooms available for first-year students.
Michelle Sollod, a sophomore economics and international relations major, is studying abroad this fall, but said if she weren't she would have liked to live in the new building. It will also be home to a two-story dining hall and a 10,600-square-foot recreation facility located on the second floor.
"I lived in Dellplain Hall my freshman year and it didn't have anything," Sollod said. "No dining hall. No recreation facility. So, I think it would be great to have it all in one place."
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