Groundbreaking Celebration: Groundbreaking is Friday of this week, September 14, from 4:30 to 6:00 pm in the Daniels Building Portico at the corner of Mills St. and University Avenue. Following brief remarks at 5:00 pm there will be refreshments in the Daniels atrium. Please join us to celebrate a big step in the progress of our department!
Johnson/Charter Street Project: Work on this steam-tunnel project is moving along according to schedule. Work in Johnson street, which has been tying up traffic, should be completed by the beginning of next month. The Charter Street work, which has required a new access drive to our loading dock, should be completed by December. Remember to avoid the loading dock area and what used to be the grassy knoll, because that is a construction zone and will be for the next three years!
New Chemistry Tower: You may have noticed a lot of new people in the building, many on ladders with their heads in the ceiling, during the past couple weeks. These are representatives of Miron Construction and its subcontractors, checking that plans for the existing building and for construction correctly represent what is there. The week after groundbreaking we expect that the exit at the northeast corner of Daniels will be closed and removal of asbestos and other hazardous materials will begin in the northernmost part of the Daniels wing, which will be demolished. There soon will be construction along the east side of Daniels as well. You will need to allow extra time to catch a bus or go to a class to the northeast of the building because the only route to that area will be out the south end of the basement and then a block up Mills street to University Avenue.
We expect that the first of many meetings with the construction team will be on September 18. Based on what we learn at those meetings we will keep everyone informed as part of our existing building comes down and our new building begins to go up. Given the size and complexity of this project, we expect occasionally to have to revise from one newsletter to the next: surprises will occur, but we are working hard to minimize them.
John Moore and Bob McMahon