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09/05/2024
By Ed Brennen

Students arriving for the fall semester will find construction fencing around a portion of the popular South Campus quad.

Not to worry, though: The fencing is scheduled to come down in mid-October. When it does, students will be able to enjoy a completely redesigned open space with accessible walking paths, improved lighting and drainage, and stronger WiFi coverage.

鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a better open space for students to gather in that will look much nicer, and it鈥檚 going to create a better environment for people with accessibility issues,鈥� says听Facilities Management听Project Manager Konstantinos Zervas.听

The entire area between O鈥橪eary Library, McGauvran Center and Weed Hall was regraded, with a new stormwater drainage system added to prevent water from collecting in the plaza. The gazebo and concrete steps in front of O鈥橪eary were removed, and a new revolving door has been installed at the main entrance to O鈥橪eary.

During the current, final phase of the $1.8 million project, a portion of the new plaza will soon be reopened in front of O鈥橪eary, giving students a continuous, accessible pathway to and from Sheehy and Concordia residence halls, as well as the听Moloney Performing Arts Center听(formerly Durgin Hall).

The South Campus quad renovation is among more than 90 projects 鈥� both big and small 鈥� that Facilities Management tackled this summer while students were away. Here are some of the highlights:

On North Campus, the bus loop outside of the Olney Science Center was temporarily reconfigured to allow for construction work to begin on the Olney modernization project. The first phase of the project, slated to start in November, will be the demolition of the Olney 150 lecture hall, as well as the adjacent Environmental Health & Safety facilities and loading dock. A new 51,000-square-foot addition, scheduled to be complete in November 2026, will feature a new main entrance to Olney and instructional spaces, as well as a new chemical handling facility. The project also calls for the renovation of 45,000 square feet of the remaining building, with improved instructional labs and classrooms and new student spaces.

On East Campus, the wheels have begun to turn on the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, or听LINC, an $800 million-plus public-private venture that plans to create over 1 million square feet of new lab and office space, hundreds of units of housing, new retail and entertainment venues and thousands of jobs. Phase 0 of the project involves moving corporate, private and governmental partners into space at the Wannalancit Business Center, which required the relocation of several UML offices over the summer:

Ames Hall has also been vacated in anticipation of LINC construction work, with lab space moved to Olney.

At University Suites on East Campus, the Hawk鈥檚 Nest is reopening after being dormant for several years. Now called the Hawk鈥檚 Nest QuickStop Cafe, it is open Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to midnight. Students can enjoy grab-and-go snacks and a late-night menu including mac and cheese bowls, chicken wing and tots bowls and chicken pizzadillas (pizza with a chicken quesadilla 鈥渢wist鈥�).

At Fox Hall, public elevator access has been added to the Fox Dining Commons on the second floor.

Students, faculty and staff in need of quiet desk space for an hour, or even a day, can now reserve a 鈥渉oteling鈥� station on the first floor of the Graduate and Professional Studies Center, located at 839 Merrimack St. Two dozen stations are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in rooms 100 and 105 (a UCard is required to access the rooms). Stations can be reserved on the听25Live听booking platform or on the spot by scanning its QR code. Facilities Management will soon be adding several lockers to each room, which will be available for day use.

At University Crossing, textbooks are now available on the first floor of the River Hawk Shop. Work is underway on a new eSports gaming center on the lower level; it is scheduled to open in February.

Back on South Campus, renovation work is nearly complete on the 3D art studio on the lower level of Dugan Hall. The project will provide updated workspace for wood shop and ceramics, with instructional stations and benches, storage areas and loading dock access.

Several new bicycle and electric scooter racks have been installed across campus this summer, and Facilities Management planted 150 new trees and shrubs.