When students return to Tufts next year, they may notice a host of tweaks and renovations after this summer's construction projects.
The university has an extensive list of projects planned, most of which it hopes to have completed before the fall semester.
Beginning shortly after Commencement, Eaton Hall's exterior will be repaired, with new windows, roofing and exterior trim added, Vice President of Operations John Roberto told the Daily in an e-mail.
The renovations to Eaton are not only cosmetic. Construction workers will restore the building's exterior "as [is] necessary and appropriate to make it weather-tight again," Director of Facilities Bob Bertram said in an e-mail.
The Facilities Department intends to carry out the extensive bathroom renovations it has planned for Metcalf and West Halls. While the Metcalf project is still on its original schedule, West "is having some building code issues being ironed out," Bertram said. But Bertram still expects both bathroom renovations to be completed by September.
In Lane Hall, Room 100 will be divided into two separate classrooms, according to Director of Construction Management Mitch Bodnarchuk. These new rooms will have capacities of roughly 45 and 90 seats, respectively. Air conditioning and new audio-video setups will be installed, and cosmetic improvements will be made. Bodnarchuk expects the new Lane 100 spaces to be ready by September 1.
On 51 Winthrop St., near Boston Avenue, the former Sacred Heart Church also will be renovated this summer and turned into a multipurpose indoor space for the university. Bodnarchuk compared the planned space with that of the Interfaith Center across the street, and said it will accommodate as many as 300 people for university events.
The church's rectory will be demolished to make room for new parking. Additionally, the exterior of the church building will undergo minor repairs, with new windows and work on the church's slate roof.
Packard Hall, currently home to the University Advancement Division, will undergo significant renovations that will not be completed until January 2009. "We're going to completely gut the building," Bodnarchuk said.
All floors will be drastically renovated, and an addition will be built with a small elevator and secondary staircase to ensure compliance with modern building codes. When it is finished, the Arts and Sciences administrative offices will move in during winter break next year.
Several smaller infrastruc-
ture projects will take place across campus this summer. Hall House, 10 Winthrop, Hillside House, Richardson Hall and 176 Curtis will have their fire alarm systems replaced.
Underground steam and electrical systems will undergo preventive maintenance, and the interiors in "3 or 4 residence halls" will be painted, according to Roberto.
