Campus Construction Update for Sept. 13

These are among the construction activities scheduled Sept. 13-19 at the University of Wyoming:

Grand Opening for Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts -- UW President Dick McGinity will host a grand opening event Thursday, Oct. 8, for the expanded and renovated Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts. An open house will begin at 5 p.m., with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. Tours and refreshments will be offered.

Corbett Pool Closure -- The Corbett Building swimming pool will be closed Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to core drill the pool deck for new starting blocks. 

Traffic Alert -- With the start of a new semester, the UW Police Department reminds everyone that the speed limit around the perimeter of campus is 20 miles per hour. It will be strictly enforced.

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

High Bay Research Facility (General contractor Haselden Wyoming Constructors, Laramie; 19th Street; scheduled completion fall 2016) -- Over lot/rough grading activities are ongoing. The building’s shear walls have been poured up to the second floor level. Form work erection began the week of Aug. 31, to extend these shear walls to the roof level. Trenching for the utilities from 19th Street to the west face of the building will take place the week of Sept. 14. A water line extension northeast of the building will also begin the week of Sept. 14. Work continues for a storm line that is being installed on the west side of the Animal Science Building. Utility connections will be made across 19th Street the week of Sept. 2. Work will continue on utility lines crossing 19th Street, which has required partial closure of 19th between Gibbon Street and the Animal Science Building. The work is anticipated to be complete late the week of Sept. 14. The street will be vacated, allowing for football traffic over the weekend.

Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts (General contractor Sampson Construction, Cheyenne; Fine Arts Building renovation and expansion; scheduled completion August 2015) -- The parking lot on the east side of the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts is now open. Building visitors can enter through the main east entrance.

The new box office located in the central lobby is open, with 15-minute parking in the east parking lot.

Substantial completion has been issued, and the new addition is occupied. Punch-list work is ongoing. AV (audio visual) commissioning is complete, with punch lists issued.

Half Acre Gymnasium Addition and Renovation (General contractor Groathouse Construction Inc., Cody; Phase 1 east reconstruction/addition was substantially completed March 13; Phase 2, historic west renovation, October 2015) -- Full project information is available here.

Phase 1 of the Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center is open. Punch-list tasks and building technology subsystem work toward Phase 2 renovation will continue post-occupancy. Pedestrian access to the new south building entrance from Prexy’s Pasture and from the east Wyoming Union parking lot has reopened. Please observe temporary barricades, cautionary signs or other posted instructions in areas where work will continue.

The west historic entrance is closed for Phase 2 renovation. Additional construction and staging areas are being established. Phase 2 deconstruction activities are complete. Renovation is underway throughout Phase 2, including mechanical and electrical rough-in and interior layout and framing. Work on the old gym continues with paint, lighting upgrades and preparation for refinishing the existing gym floor. Aquatics subcontract work related to the existing pool, new pool plumbing and the new whirlpool is underway. Completion of Phase 2 renovation is now scheduled for fall 2015.

Construction and staging areas north, east and west of the existing building have been established and are closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic, except that which is construction related. Pedestrian pathways north and south of Half Acre remain open; however, continuing construction in this vicinity will result in increased congestion. Temporary traffic controls, barricades 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.

ASUW Memorial Plaza (General contractor Arcon Inc., Laramie; scheduled completion Oct. 1) -- The majority of the work on this project is complete. Remaining work includes sandblasting of the ASUW medallion inset design and rock mulch installation in the planting bed areas. In addition, two small turf areas at the north and south end of the plaza will be replaced with rock mulch and sandstone hardscape due to irrigation limitations. Once the remaining work has been completed, the contractor will remove the construction fencing and begin moving off the site. This project is scheduled to be complete (with the exception of alpine planting) by Oct. 1. The alpine planting will take place during spring 2016 due to growing season requirements. Please observe all temporary barricades, cautionary signs or other posted instructions in areas where work is taking place.

Hoyt Hall Renovation (General contractor TBD, anticipated completion fall/winter 2016) -- The bid date for this project has been rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015. A second pre-bid meeting with interested contractors is scheduled Thursday, Sept. 24, to clarify changes in project scope and schedule requirements. Required structural repairs to the lower level of Hoyt Hall will be completed under a separate contract managed by the UW Physical Plant. The renovation work in the building is currently anticipated to begin in early January 2016, after all the structural repairs are complete. Please observe all temporary barricades, cautionary signs or other posted instructions in areas of the building where work is taking place.

Michael B. Enzi STEM Facility (General contractor AP Wyoming, Cheyenne; Lewis Street between 10th and 11th streets; scheduled completion August 2015) -- Please note that this project is being managed and administered by the State Construction Office. The intersection of 11th and Lewis is open for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The sidewalk on the south side of Lewis is open, and there is access to the Earth Science/EIC loading dock. The construction office is relocated to the west on 10th Street, with access on the north from Bradley Street.

Landscaping and site work is proceeding around the building. Planting of trees and shrubs is underway, with sod to follow. This will cause intermittent disruptions to traffic on all surrounding streets.

Construction activity continues throughout the building. Ceiling grid work is beginning in corridors and public areas. Laboratory casework is complete throughout. Painting, floor tile and installation of acoustic wall paneling continue in the atrium. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing trim-out is underway throughout. Finishing of the installation of stairs and elevators continues. There will continue to be numerous man lifts around the perimeter of the building, allowing work to progress on the cornice, curtain wall and masonry. The mason will continue to work on the final installation of stone and coping. Penthouse metal siding is nearing completion, and cornice soffits are underway. Curtain wall and glass installation is nearing completion on the south. Work on the atrium interior walls and detail continues in conjunction with the completion of mechanical and electrical systems.

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, along with ongoing delivery of materials to site from vendors. You can visit the webcam here.

The UW Physical Plant has 320 projects in progress valued at more than $47.2 million. Following is a list of ongoing construction activities in areas of campus that may impact you:

Arts and Sciences (Stonehouse Inc., Laramie; October 2015) -- A concrete skirt with spillways and primary roof drain modifications will be installed on the northeast and north sides of the building. Positive stormwater corrections will be made via regrading and new sod, to prevent continued water intrusion into the building. Traffic control barricades will be in place. Please be cautious around equipment in the area. 

Engineering (Laramie Heating and Sheet Metal, Laramie; September 2015) -- A crane will be staged Wednesday, Sept. 16, on Lewis Street to the north of the Engineering Building to remove a construction rollaway dumpster from the roof, following the exhaust fan siding project. The crane will be active for roughly three hours. Traffic control and on-ground monitors will be in place. Please adhere to their directions and be cautious around the crane and equipment.

Arts and Sciences (Shepard Construction, Rawlins; October 2015) -- A ramp is being constructed for access to the north side of the A&S auditorium stage. Part of Room 118 will be converted for this space. Temporary barriers will be constructed for dust. Please use caution around crews and equipment.

Visual Arts Building (GE Johnson; September 2015) -- Work will be ongoing to replace exterior lighting and sealing the exterior envelope. Use caution near crews and equipment.

Biological Sciences (Laramie Heating and Sheet Metal; September 2015) -- A supplemental/emergency cooling system is scheduled to be installed in Room 427A. Work will be ongoing in this area and in the mechanical chase in the center of the building. Please use caution near crews and equipment.

Jacoby Golf Course (Christensen Irrigation Co., Costa Mesa, Calif.; May 2016) -- The contractor is laying out pipe in areas of the course. Trenching and installation of pipe in the rough areas is ongoing on fairways three and four. Piping and material are stockpiled in the staging area west of the clubhouse and around the course. Improvements are expected to decrease water consumption, reduce system maintenance and enhance aesthetics. Please use caution near crews and equipment in this area.

Sigma Phi Epsilon (Marshall Contracting, Laramie; September 2015) -- Repairs, replacement and repainting of the gutters, downspouts and fascia are in progress. Use caution around crews and equipment in the area.

College of Agriculture Building -- Crews are working to repair a broken water main located between the Agriculture Building and the Education Annex. Water has been restored to all facilities. A complete repair has not been made due to difficult access to utilities. Water interruptions are anticipated, and repairs continue. Building occupants will be notified of any outages. Access to the area is limited, and the sidewalk between Agriculture and Education will remain closed. Please use caution around heavy equipment.

Coe Library (Laramie Heating & Sheet Metal, Laramie; September 2015) -- Work is ongoing on duct and plumbing modifications to all floors to resolve building pressurization issues. Work is anticipated to create noise and dust in work areas. Crews will begin on the sixth floor and move to the first floor as work progresses. Expect all floors to be affected. Use caution in work areas and around equipment.

Biological Sciences Building (Lance’s Painting, Laramie; September 2015) -- The east side of the building will be re-sealed at all windows, concrete control joints and expansion joints. A lift will be staged on the sidewalk east of the building throughout the project. Please be cautious around the lift and workers in the area.

Knight Hall Student Financial Operations (JC Construction, Laramie; September 2015) -- A renovation of the cashiers area and the Office Suite 172 is underway. Moving crews will relocate the furniture, and temporary barriers will be established. Construction crews will enter and exit through the southwest Knight Hall corridor. Three parking spots have been reserved for contractor vehicles and a construction waste trailer. Traffic control barricades will be in place. Please be cautious of crews and equipment in the area.

Landmark Square Apartments (Highland Landscaping, Laramie; June 2016) -- Landscape improvements and a new sprinkler system are being installed for the entire Landmark Apartments property. Irrigation main, lateral line installation and pump station infrastructure are in progress. Traffic control barricades are in place. Please be cautious around excavation areas and equipment.

Spanish Walk Apartments Exterior Building Repairs (Shepard Construction, Rawlins; November 2015) -- Work on units A and B is complete. Work will be ongoing on units C and D, weather permitting. The staging area will be in the northeast corner of the complex. Lift equipment will be used to access the mansards at building perimeters. Use caution near crews and equipment.

Energy Innovation Center (UW Physical Plant; Custom Fabrication, Laramie; Trident Electric, Laramie; September 2015) -- A five-row solar array is being installed on the southeast roof of the building. This array will be used for solar power research and to supplement the electricity demand at the building. All mechanical installation work is complete. Commissioning and final connections are still in progress.

Hoyt Hall (UW Physical Plant, Arcon Inc.; October 2015) -- Repairs to the basement interior steel frame structure are expected to begin in early September. Staging will be north of the building and south of Student Health. Please use caution around crews and equipment.

Wyoming Union (UW Physical Plant; September 2015) -- Upgrades around the east dining room are ongoing. Please use caution near crews and equipment. 

Coil Cleaning (Common Cents Energy Recovery, Frederick, Colo.; September 2015) -- Coil cleaning in various campus air-handling units is complete. This project will improve energy efficiency of building systems and help conserve energy.