Bartels addition, Henry C. Lee building, and Maxcy quad construction updates
By now, everyone has seen the amazing work that the UNH campus has received over the summer. From the big projects, such as the Henry C. Lee building, to the smaller projects, including power washing buildings and sidewalks, Tom Beebe, the Vice President of Facilities, has kept himself and everyone he works with busy. To any students who question the final destination of their tuition, rest assured that it is being utilized very well to make life on campus better.
The largest and most obvious construction projects of the summer are the Bartels Hall expansion, the Henry C. Lee building, the landscaping of the Maxcy quad, the repair and painting of Bixler and Botwinik Halls, and the renovation of the Psychology building.
The goals of the Bartels expansion were to increase the seating capacity, create space for student activities, create more of a college dining hall feel, and to streamline both the kitchen and dining areas to accommodate the greater numbers eating there. With everything from digital displays to the new cashiers’ stations, the new dining hall is beautiful; it even has a view of Long Island Sound!
Just in front of Bartels, the Henry C. Lee building is nearing completion, with its ribbon cutting scheduled for October 15. This building will house classrooms and cutting edge forensics equipment, allowing UNH students to learn with the best. One of the most interesting features are the crime scene rooms downstairs, where projectors are used in conjunction with props to create a virtual crime scene for students to collect evidence from. Despite being primarily for Forensic Science students, one feature of the building that can be enjoyed by everyone will be the museum area inside the main entrance.
With all construction in and around the Maxcy quad nearly finished, it has become a focal point of the campus, centered around the new yellow concrete circle with UNH spelled out in large letters. In addition to new, more sensible, sidewalks and beautiful landscaping, steps were taken to prevent the flooding issues that everyone dealt with every rainy day when walking past Buckman Hall. Another feature of the quad is a large seating area in front of Bartels where tables and chairs will be placed.
Switching locations to the Bixler- Botwinik quad, a new paint job can do wonders for the look of both the interior and exterior of buildings, case in point, the new beige paint replacing the former pink glory of Bixler and Botwinik. The new color definitely helps both buildings fit in to the surrounding area much better. In addition to painting, maintenance was performed to the exterior of both buildings to prevent costly damage in the future.
To this point, the only building in the Bixler-Botwinik quad that had not received any attention was the Psychology building; however, this is no longer the case as the interior is being completely renovated in order to house campus offices, and the area directly in front of the building is being turned into seating areas and a small stage.
In addition to all of the listed big projects, a great number of small repairs and improvements have been made. On the fourth and fifth floors of Dodds, new cabinets and lab tables have been installed and ducts have been repaired to keep the labs cleaner. Drainage was improved in the Bixler-Botwinik quad, in an effort to prevent water pooling. Additionally, there are plans to improve the pavilion next to the German Club, the first step of which has already been completed: the demolition of the old concrete block building. The new Center for Learning Resources (CLR) is in progress in the lower floor of the library, and where the CLR was in Maxcy, a new center designed to help freshmen succeed is being built. Also, in progress in Maxcy is an ESPN library to house historical ESPN materials for reference, by students. One of the most interesting improvements is the introduction of proximity card readers throughout campus, including dorms. Another great technology being introduced is a large video display board that will be placed in the score board at DellaCamera Stadium, and will be coordinated with cameras to display football games.
UNH has taken great strides over the summer to improve its campus and provide better service to all of its students. While construction work can be an eyesore, it is a necessity for improvement, and there will be less with the completion of all the projects near the Maxcy quad. With so many improvements, it is clear that the university wants students to feel at home while on campus, while still fostering education.
Do you have any feedback on the construction on campus? Let us know by sending an email to [email protected].
