Area colleges invest millions in new buildings, renovations

As students return to colleges throughout the mid-Hudson Valley for the fall semester, many will find their campuses different from how they left them in the spring.

New science classrooms and research facilities are being erected at Vassar College and SUNY New Paltz. More residential living areas are being created to accommodate more students on Marist College's campus. And at Bard College, two new dormitories under construction soon will be named in the memory of two students who died last year in a hit-and-run collision.

Schools throughout the region are investing tens of millions of dollars in an effort to provide the latest academic facilities and amenities to best serve students in the future. Some of those construction projects are scheduled to be completed in early 2016. Still, others are years away from realization, and some current students are concerned the long-term investment comes at the expense of their own campus experience.

“It’s good for future students, but they’re not really thinking about the current students at the college who are paying to go to school here," said New Paltz junior Amanda Copkov, whose school is spending more than $120 million on various projects. "It’s just never ending."

Greg Cannon, chief public affairs officer at Marist, said the school's two major construction projects "are helping to further transform the campus. The farthest along is our new science and allied health building, which is rising rapidly on Beck Place,” on the east side of Route 9.

The $33 million project will be the new home to the college’s athletic training, biology and medical technology programs. It will also house the physician’s assistant program,  for which the college is waiting to hear from the state on accreditation status, according to Cannon. The building is slated to open in January 2016.

Marist’s other project, the North Campus Housing project, is currently in phase one of a two-phase plan, Cannon said, which includes foundation work for two brand new student housing buildings that will provide 465 new beds to be open in August 2016.

Phase two is tentative at this point, according to Cannon. It would require the campus’ Gartland Commons complex to be leveled to make room for a third and fourth building. The complete project, which would be slated for August 2017 and provide 798 beds, would cost $90-$100 million, Cannon said.

"We are hopeful that it will be built, but we will evaluate all factors again after completion of phase one before moving ahead. Again, we're optimistic it will happen, but it's not yet guaranteed," Cannon said.

Marist sophomore Elio Velazquez, 19, said while the construction is a plus for the college, his classmates will not fully get to reap the benefits.

"It's a benefit, 'cause it shows the school's expanding. They're constantly updating it and everything, it's nice," Velazquez said on Wednesday. "But at the same time, it doesn't really  affect me because by the time they're done building that, I'll be out of here, so I don't really care for it."

The sophomore said the construction is hurting current student transportation in more ways than one.

"I do get annoyed by the construction, it's a burden. You always have to take another route than you could take to get somewhere quicker," he said. "Because they're building a new building, they had to close down a lot of parking lots. Now, sophomores can't have cars on campus."

Vassar builds 'Bridge'

Like Marist, Vassar plans to open its new science building in January 2016, with construction coming to a close.

Construction of the new facility, dubbed “The Bridge,” began in 2013, according to Jeff Kosmacher, director of media relations and public affairs at Vassar. The $125 million, 80,000-foot project spans two pieces of terrain across the Fonteyn Kill stream with a two-level skywalk, and connects with current biology building Olmsted Hall.

“The bridge will be the new home to Vassar’s chemistry department, as well as to a variety of interdisciplinary resources such as labs for robotics, environmental science and science visualization,” Kosmacher said.

While no major construction occurred over the summer at Dutchess Community College, the campus welcomes new additions this Fall including two upgraded computer labs and a number of new enclosed study areas, said Judi Stokes, director of communication and public relations at Dutchess.

A new veterans lounge located in Hudson Hall was also added, according to Stokes, who said it “will cater to the large population of veteran students that attend the college.”

In Annandale, construction of two new dormitories at Bard College are nearing completion, said Eleanor Davis, media and marketing manager at Bard. The dormitories will be named in memory of Evelina Brown and Sarah McCausland, two Bard students killed in a February 2014 hit-and-run car accident in Tivoli.

Construction of Brown and McCausland began last year and will be "part of the recently renamed Resnick Commons dorm complex, previously Village Dorms," Davis said. The dorms are corridor-style buildings with a common area lounge, kitchen and laundry facilities. Bard did not provide the Journal with the cost of the buildings' construction or the buildings' sizes, despite multiple inquiries over a two-week span.

Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh did not have any new additions to  its campus this year, and no construction projects are currently in progress, according to college's office of public relations. No information was provided by the United States Military Academy in West Point about the renovations or additions the school has or is currently making to the campus.

New Paltz adds housing, science buildings

SUNY New Paltz is also among the schools adding residence halls and science facilities.

The $33 million Ridgeview Hall will provide students with views of the Shawangunk Ridge, and aid in meeting a demand for on-campus housing, according to a press release from the college. The new addition, located next to the campus’ Athletic and Wellness Center, includes a new café, a seminar room, a faculty apartment, quiet study lounges and Skype rooms.

“Ridgeview Hall is a modern, optimal living and learning space and we’re pleased that it will offer more of our students the opportunity to become more involved in campus life,” said SUNY New Paltz President Don Christian in the release.

Construction at New Paltz will continue throughout the Fall, with various renovations and new buildings being added across the campus. Such renovations include the new $37 million Wooster Science Building, slated to open in January 2016, and a $14 million renovation to the Sojourner Truth Library is scheduled to be completed late this Fall.

A $48 million science building and the $1.3 million Mohonk Walk West, a walkway that extends from the campus’ main concourse, behind Jacobson Faculty Tower and down a hill to van den Berg Hall, are also currently under construction.

Although the abundant construction may be beneficial for the college in the long run, Copkov, 20, said the college does not understand the impact these projects are having on current students.

“I definitely think (the construction) hinders getting around campus,” Copkov said. “I have businesses classes in van den Berg, and when they started repairing at the end of the last semester, it was a pain to get around."

Abbott Brant: abrant@pougkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4809; Twitter: @AbbottBrantPoJo

Building costs

$125 million: Vassar College's new 80,000-foot skyway project that will connect with biology building Olmsted Hall and feature the chemistry department and other interdisciplinary science resources.

$33 million: Marist College's new building, which will house the college’s athletic training, biology, medical technology and physician’s assistant programs.

$33 million: SUNY New Paltz's Ridgeview Hall, a new residence hall which will include a café, a seminar room, a faculty apartment, quiet study lounges and Skype rooms.