LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The mounds of dirt, piles of stone, stacks of piping, as well as the bulldozers and excavating equipment, tell the story of major residence hall and student recreation center construction work under way on the Lawrenceville campus.  It is the campus buzz.

Not as evident, but equally important, are the numerous renovation projects completed over the summer or about to begin. Following are some of the project highlights.

• The renovation of six residence hall lounges into three or four-bedroom suites with private bathroom, a furnished living room and individual heating/cooling systems in each bedroom. Students moved into the new units this week. Two of the suites are in Kroner, two in Olson, one in Gee and one in Wright.  One free lounge remains in each building for study, recreation and other programming. Creation of the suites adds a total of 20 beds in these residence halls.
• Extensive renovation to Lincoln Residence Hall that includes new flooring, paint and lighting in every room, and major upgrades in more than 30 bathrooms.
• Renovation of Fine Arts Room 259 for the expansion of the Journalism Lab.
• Renovation of Fine Arts Room 309 for the relocated Foreign Languages Lab.
• Repaving of parking areas on both the main Lawrenceville campus and Westminster’s Princeton campus.
• Temporary relocation of six outdoor recreation courts.
• New carpeting and furniture for all student lounges at Westminster.
• Sprinklers installed in Bristol Chapel and to be installed in Talbot Library.
• Renovation of the greenhouses attached to the Science and Technology Center and the renovation of the freshman biology lab in Room 108 will occur this fall.

In addition to these projects and located beyond the varsity soccer field and tennis courts is the work on the new baseball field.  The field measures 330-feet down each line and 405-feet to centerfield, meets all NCAA specifications and will be a first-class baseball facility. Recently, a laser-equipped grader precisely leveled the infield and stone drainage and an irrigation system have been installed.  The relocation of the baseball field will allow the current Daly Field to be used by hundreds of students as intramural playing fields.

But it is the construction along the main mall that has captured peoples’ attention the most. This work features:

• Construction of a new residence hall between Hill and Ziegler residence halls;
• Renovation of Hill and Ziegler, including conversion of one-story lounges in each building into three-story additions of suites and apartments;
• Construction of the new and converted facilities adds 186 beds;
• Construction of a common entrance for both Ziegler and the new residence hall which will feature improved security, a reception and lounge area and a laundry room, and
• Construction of a new 50,000 sq. ft. student recreation center, adjacent to Alumni Gym. This center will contain three basketball courts, a 3,600 sq. ft. fitness center, an aerobics room, new female/male lockers and a jogging track on the second floor.

The construction/renovation of the residence halls and the student recreation center, scheduled for completion by September 2005, are major transforming projects on the mall and the beginning of change to the whole design look of the mall.