Campus Construction Update for Nov. 2

These are among the construction activities scheduled Nov. 2-8 at the University of Wyoming:

Open House -- University of Wyoming employees and students are invited to take an up close look at UW’s new “front door,” the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center Monday, Nov. 3, from 3-5 p.m. Plenty of free parking space is available.

The UW Facilities Planning Office reports the following activities for the week:

Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts (General contractor Sampson Construction, Cheyenne; Fine Arts Building renovation and expansion; scheduled completion March 2015) -- The parking lot on the east side of the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts is closed and is being used for construction staging. Building visitors should use the parking lot on the north side of the building. Those entering the Performing Arts Center must now enter through the doors on the building’s west side. This will be the entrance for all building operations, including classes, ticket purchases and performances, until construction is complete.

The parking lot south of the building is partially closed through mid-November for new sanitary and storm sewer pipe installation. Exterior framing, sheathing and vapor barrier installation is complete. Masonry work is ongoing on the east side. Exterior glazing will continue on the south side this week. Roofing is complete. Interior framing/drywall/taping, rough-in plumbing, duct work, and electrical work are ongoing. The northwest addition wall framing is complete, with electrical and plumbing rough-ins ongoing. Work in the existing building is ongoing, with display boards, curtains, acoustic wall panels and carpeting ongoing. Heavy truck traffic will be frequent near War Memorial Fieldhouse, 22nd Street and Willett Drive, and along the road west of the College of Law Building.

Biological Sciences Building Mechanical Modifications (General Contractor Independent Heating and Sheet Metal, Laramie) -- Two weeks of integration testing on the fifth floor has started. Final roof installation will begin Dec. 1; moving of animals back into the Vivarium is TBD.

ESCo Project (Long Energy Solutions, Casper) -- Engineering air distribution and control work continues. Non-lab and lab area work on all floors is 95 percent complete in occupied areas. Exhaust upgrades will continue for two more weeks in the penthouse.

Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center -- Spruce Court (General contractor: Arcon Inc., Laramie) – Decking, landscaping and boulder installation are complete, railing and generator screening installation will follow. Service vehicles entering campus from the gate at 9½ Lewis St. should use caution.

Enzi STEM Facility (General contractor AP Wyoming, Cheyenne; Lewis Street between 10th and 11th streets; scheduled completion May 2015) -- Lewis Street remains closed between 10th and 11th streets. Please note that this project is being managed and administered by the State Construction Office. There will be continuing utility work on 11th Street, along with steam line and storm water work in the intersection of 11th and Lewis streets. Due to conflicts with existing utilities requiring them to be relocated, it is expected the closure at 11th and Lewis will be until the end of November. This will restrict access across Lewis at 11th streets. Access across Lewis at 12th Street will be restricted at some point during the week while the cut in Lewis is being paved if the weather prevents completion of the work earlier.

Construction activity on site will increase as the building is starting to be enclosed. Additional construction trades will be working on the exterior closure. Watch for construction traffic on Lewis, 10th, 11th and Bradley streets. For safety, pedestrians should make eye contact with equipment operators and delivery drivers outside the fenced area so they are aware of their presence. There will be equipment moving materials from storage to site. You can visit the webcam here.

Half Acre Gymnasium Addition and Renovation (General contractor Groathouse Construction Inc., Cody; scheduled completion of Phase 1, east reconstruction/addition, Jan. 20, 2015; Phase 2, historic west renovation, spring 2015) -- Full project information is available here. Construction progress can be observed via the project webcam here. Half Acre Gymnasium remains open and accessible via the west entrance. The day lot parking area and roadway immediately east of Half Acre Gymnasium are closed. Temporary day-use parking has been established in the lot east of the Wyoming Union.

Construction and staging areas north, south and east of the existing building have been established and are closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic, except that which is construction related. Access to Prexy’s Pasture from the east Wyoming Union parking lot between Half Acre and the Wyoming Union is closed until further notice. Please use alternate routes through the Wyoming Union or between the Union and Coe Library. Heavy truck traffic, including construction materials transport, concrete trucks and other haulers, will be frequent on Willett Drive west of 15th Street and along the perimeter of the Wyoming Union parking lot. Temporary traffic controls and signs are either in place or will be established as needed by specific site activities.

Phase 1 east reconstruction/addition construction is now focused on interior finish and/or preparatory work for finishes in all areas. Drywall finishing, specialty plaster, priming and painting, ceiling systems, tile and specialty flooring, casework and building specialties, and building systems work are progressing on all floors. Though exterior building enclosure has been “dried-in” for a number of weeks as is necessary to facilitate interior finish work, exterior building finish work -- primarily stone and brick masonry -- continues from south to east to north. Specialty building equipment, including climbing wall/pinnacle components, are in process toward final installation. Building HVAC start-up is pending as necessary to begin conditioning of spaces in preparation for temperature- and moisture-dependent finish work. Subgrade exterior site work is generally complete, allowing hardscape and non-weather dependent landscaping to proceed.

Pedestrian pathways north of Half Acre Gymnasium between Prexy’s Pasture and Willett Drive remain open; however, the continuing construction in this vicinity will result in increased congestion. Willett Drive west of 15th Street and south of Wyoming Hall has reopened to normal traffic. Site improvement work along the south perimeter of Willett Drive will continue. Site improvement work will impact portions of the parking lot east of the Wyoming Union through Nov. 15. Normal vehicular access to the parking lot will remain open; however, construction work along the north perimeter of this lot will require some temporary detours in that area. Temporary traffic controls and signs will be established as needed by specific site activities. Please observe all posted traffic control, construction signs and temporary flagging in the affected areas.

Education Annex -- Literacy Research Center and Clinic (General contractor Shepard Construction Inc., Rawlins) -- This project is substantially complete and occupancy has been taken, with all access and site restrictions removed. Some minor work is yet to be completed by construction crews. Please observe any temporary provisions in place to accommodate the work.

Visual Arts Center (22nd Street and Willett Drive near the Centennial Complex) -- Installation of stone will continue this week. Progress on this work is dependent on the weather and may be further delayed. The contractor is using a portion of the northwest parking area as a staging area.

The UW Physical Plant has 323 projects in progress valued at more than $41.1 million. Following is a list of ongoing construction activities in areas of campus that may impact you:

Energy Innovation Center (General Contractor Arcon, Inc., Laramie, November 2014) – Arcon, Inc. will install a new floor sink in the ground floor mechanical room. Be aware of crews working in this area.

Casper Family Practice (WWC Engineering, Laramie, November 2014) -- Work will begin to replace ADA features at the main entrance after business hours Nov. 5. Concrete work will commence Nov.6 and is scheduled to be complete the same day. Building access will be via the west entrance next Thursday.

Cheyenne Family Practice (Simon Contractors, Cheyenne, November 2014) -- Parking lot pot hole repairs are scheduled for the week of Nov 3. Please use caution near equipment in the area.

Jacoby Golf Course (Simon Contractors, Cheyenne, November 2014) -- Installation of a paved cart path from the clubhouse to the Indoor Golf Practice Facility is ongoing. Please use caution near crews and equipment.

Information Technology Center -- (Arcon Inc., Laramie, November 2014) -- Installation of a double door on the main floor, south hallway, is ongoing. Use caution near crews and equipment.

Gateway Center (Sweckard Excavation, Laramie, November 2014) -- Installation of a bus stop and crosswalk will be ongoing in the area of 22nd and Arrowhead Streets. The parking lane on the west side of 22nd from Arrowhead Street to Grand Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic. Please use caution near crews and equipment.

Health Sciences Complex (Mullen’s Heating Inc., Laramie, November 2014) -- Energy efficiency and air quality upgrades to the air handling units are scheduled Oct. 27-Nov. 4. Building occupants may notice periodic interruptions to air flow within the building.

Lewis Street (Mechanical Systems, Inc., Cheyenne, June 2015) -- Lewis Street will remain closed from 10th Street to 13th Street through Nov. 21. Access to Wyoming/McWhinnie Hall parking lots and Willett Drive is open for normal traffic. Excavation work on 19th Street is complete, and the sidewalk is now open. Crews will be working within the Greenhill Cemetery for the next few weeks. It is recommended that pedestrians access campus at 10th or 12th streets; 11th Street is closed at Lewis Street.

Health Sciences (Stonehouse Inc. Laramie, November 2014) -- Excavation and equipment staging are underway on the entire south side of the Health Sciences Building. The work will consist of foundation waterproofing and installation of a perimeter drain. During this project, building access and egress will be prohibited at the northwest doors of the Classroom Building and the south center doors to Health Sciences. Doors may be used only in case of emergencies. Work is scheduled to be complete Nov. 14. Please be cautious around the traffic control barricades and fencing.

Health Sciences (UW Physical Plant, November 2014) -- Work will continue through November to renovate Room 483 to create three additional rooms. Removal of lab benches and flooring is ongoing. Please use caution near work areas.

Shipping and Receiving/General Storage (General Contractor Arcon Inc., Laramie, scheduled completion November 2014) -- Tree planting and revegetation efforts are nearly complete. The main entrance off of 15th Street, northwest of General Storage, will remain closed through early in the week to allow adequate time for concrete to cure. Storm water infrastructure improvements and site work will be ongoing. Delivery trucks will need to use 19th Street for access until the main entrance is reopened. View a map of the detour here.

Ross Hall -- Painting of bathroom stalls is ongoing. Please be aware of crews in these areas.

Engineering Building (General contractor Independent Heating and Sheet Metal, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- Air management and digital control upgrades to improve building efficiency are substantially complete. Air balance and commissioning will continue through November.

Grand Avenue (UW Physical Plant, November 2014) -- Landscaping, lighting and signage work will continue through November as remediation from the street expansion project is completed.

Cowboy Baseball Field (General contractor Highland Landscaping and Contracting, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- This project is substantially complete.

McWhinnie Hall/Education (General contractor Elk Ridge Builders, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- This project is substantially complete.

Fieldhouse North (General contractor Elk Ridge Builders, Laramie; scheduled completion October 2014) -- Renovations in the wrestling room are substantially complete.

Campus -- Winterization of irrigation systems by PPL crews is complete for the season.

Wyoming Hall -- Painting of the elevator lobbies is complete.

Health Sciences Penthouse (Laramie Heating and Sheet Metal., Laramie, October 2014) -- Replacement of a new air tight damper system in the penthouse is complete.