On Tuesday, May 26th, Lee Kennedy (our Construction Management Company) will re-enter the library after a long pause. Preparations for subcontractors to re-enter the building to resume construction will be made this week. Workers will be onsite by June 1st and all construction crews will follow specific Lee Kennedy Covid-19 protocols which were submitted and approved by the state in advance of work resuming. For example, crews will be assigned a separate bathroom, separate entrance, and a separate elevator. There will also be disinfection throughout the building as well. Crews will be given temperature checks before entry, must wear PPE, and practice social distancing. There will be regular monitoring of all procedures and protocols by Lee Kennedy.
The timeline for construction completion will be extended. It is now projected the work will continue until January 2021. In addition, the schedule has been adjusted to begin work on the first floor and outside the building simultaneously to avoid working on the new entrance and plaza areas in the winter months. Updates on the second floor are minimal. New carpet is to be installed in the admin area where the kitchen flooded, the kitchen will be remodeled, and the new Russell Reading Room needs finishes, lighting, and doors. The L1 access services desk area needs computer systems and hold lockers installed. The bulk of the remaining renovation will be concentrated on the first floor including the new entrance, the café, the COOP, plaza, bridge and the handicap ramps and will take up most of the time between now and the end of the year.
It is really exciting to be able to share this good news and tell you that construction will resume. There are more than 20 construction projects either approved or underway at HMS and only 12 (ours being one) have been scheduled to start up or finish, given the financial strains on our university.
The Countway renovation is important to the HMS community. The renovated library will be a place where the entire LMA community can come together and collaborate, practice social honoring, experience a diversity of ideas and interdisciplinary practice, and enhance research and scholarly endeavors.
There are good days ahead!
Elaine