LeFevre Hall in the Hasbrouck Complex is also going to get some attention. The college is going out to bid for design documents for a renovation on the dormitory soon.
Work to renovate the Wooster Building — a $36.7 million project — has started. It’s completely gutted.
“It’s amazing. You wouldn’t recognize the building. It looks almost like a parking garage right now,” Shupe said. “We’re actually starting to put elements — structural elements — back into the building right now. It’ll be completely different when we’re done.”
The college’s old science building is set to absorb offices from the Faculty Building. Science rooms have moved into temporary locations until the new science building goes up.
Back on track
Back in March, SUNY New Paltz got some disappointing news. Albany had put two cornerstones of their college master plan on hold.
Both the Sojourner Truth Library renovation and construction of a new science building were halted because the State University of New York system already had roughly $700 million in construction taking place.
SUNY had hit its “disbursement cap,” meaning that although the money was allocated no construction could take place. In the spring, college officials in New Paltz weren’t sure when that cap would be lifted. It turns out, it was sooner than expected.
“We’re pretty excited,” Shupe said. “This fall we’re breaking ground on almost $100 million of construction. It’s a pretty busy time for us, but it’s a good place to be.”
Sojourner Truth Library will get $14.3 million in renovations, including a reorganization of the library facility. The $48 million science building is slated to be built at the intersection of Plattekill Avenue and North Manheim Boulevard — in an area highlighted as “The Corner” on the SUNY New Paltz master plan.
For locals, the old houses that dot the SUNY New Paltz campus are something of a curiosity. Two of the four houses on Route 32 are in use — one as the alumni center, the other as the international program center.
But the vacant Will and Hanmer houses are slated to come down as the new science building goes up. During the delay, the science building project got a few tweaks.
“We actually pushed the building back toward the Mohonk Walk a little more. It’s going to be in that southeast corner — down the Mohonk Walk where the houses are, rather than on the north side,” he said.
Added to the plan — because of the shift in the science building’s location — will be some green space. “On Plattekill Avenue, we’re going to build a park there. We’re going to build a really nice park for anybody’s use.”
For more information about construction at SUNY New Paltz, head to www.newpaltz.edu/construction/.
