SUNY Fredonia launches “The Future of Fredonia” website

Where do you think Fredonia will be in the next five to ten years? With a click of your mouse you can find out. The Future of Fredonia website has launched as an explanation of the upcoming and current construction happening across campus.

There are currently five projects on the site: The Science Center construction, The Williams Center renovation, Dods Hall Fitness Center renovation, The Rockefeller Arts Center addition and The Townhouse Village Residence.

When you visit the Future of Fredonia website, you will be able to view the start and end dates of construction for each project. You will also see information on the purpose of each building, who and what will be in each building, the design layout and the cost. For each of the five projects there is a team of architects  that make sure everything is running smoothly and a separate group on campus that works closely with the contents of the building.

The new science center will house twenty-four undergraduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs. It will also have teacher certification programs, initial certification, professional certification and graduate studies. The new science center, which began construction in the summer of  2011, has a projected completion date of January 2014.

Vice President of Student Affairs David Herman says that all of the departments, including Student Affairs, are involved in the ongoing construction.

"There is actually a Master Committee of all the departments and students in regards to the construction. Therefore, everyone is able to have his or her own opinion. We have our own buildings we are monitoring. The Student Affairs Office deals with The Williams Center and the exercise sciences and other fitness departments will monitor The Dods Hall Fitness Center renovations," Herman said.

The Williams Center renovation started in May 2012 and has an expected completion of August 2013. The Williams Center is set to have a near-total interior renovation. Some of the changes to the building include the re-opening of the original skylights along with reconfigurations of all offices, meeting rooms and the multipurpose room. The interior walls will be redone and the food services will return.

There is also a plan to modify the loading docks for the frequent truck deliveries. The exterior changes to the building will also improve sight lines for the safety of pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Examples of the estimated outcome of the interior and exterior renovations can be seen on the Future of Fredonia website.

The Dods Hall Fitness Center renovation will begin in May 2012 and end in Jan. 2013. The estimated design cost of the renovation is $479,175 and the construction cost has yet to be determined.   Some of the things they plan to change about the fitness center are to evaluate the floor structure for the load capacity related to the fitness centers, asbestos/PCB lead testing and an upgrade of the mechanical and electrical systems where it is required.  You can see the full list of alterations on the Future of Fredonia website, by clicking the "current status" link on the fitness page.

The Rockefeller Arts Center construction will start in the summer of 2012, though its projected completion has yet to be announced. The planning for the addition will be finalized by December 2011. Deborah Berke and Partners Architects are in the middle of a study to determine the use of the expansion.  

 Herman wants the students to have a better understanding of all the construction that will be done on and off campus.

"I want them to explore and understand the website; I want them to be able to see what is going on with construction. We have a live webcam set at the construction of the science building. If you go to admissions then undergraduate admissions [on the SUNY Fredonia homepage] you will see videos there," he explained.

The Townhouse Village residences construction will begin in the  summer of 2012 and be ready by Fall 2013. They are planning to put the new residences between the softball and baseball fields. Each housing unit will have four single bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen, a living and dining area and areas of storage and laundry. A community building will include a mailroom, recreation and meeting space and a kitchen. The exterior will have walkways, yards, landscaping and parking.