Facilities

Dear Lawrence Community, 

As anyone on campus can see, we are already well into construction season at Lawrence. This year there are an especially large number of projects in the works and planned over the course of the summer, many of which are funded by generous donors to the university. The current status and estimated dates for these projects is shown in the list below. 

Look for periodic updates on these projects in the LU Insider over the course of the summer. In the meantime, building coordinators will be notified when any of these projects will have an impact on their building(s).

Best,
Mary Alma Noonan
Vice President for Finance & Administration

See photo highlights of the spring and summer 2021 construction projects (PDF).

Summer Construction Projects*

1. Summer power shutdown: Thursday, August 5, is the annual sub-station cleaning. Power to the entire campus will be shut down from 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
2. Brokaw Hall: Construction is underway to add a ramp to the front entrance on the east side of Brokaw. New sidewalks will also be poured. Completion by the end of July.
3. Warch Campus Center dining: Renovation of Kaplan’s Café and Andrew Commons is in progress. The Café will be done late July. Andrew Commons starts in mid-June and will be done September 3. 
4. Warch Campus Center stairwell & third floor: The stairwell and third floor flooring will be replaced from mid-June through the end of August. The entire building will be closed to the public and occupants for the summer.
5. Kohler Hall: Renovation is underway and will complete August 14. Bathrooms, ramp, windows and the first floor will be completed in Phase I during summer 2021. Phase II will encompass the lower level and remainder of the windows over summer 2022. 
6. Youngchild 121: This lecture hall is under construction and will be completed by the end of August.
7. Kaeyes Mamaceqtawuk Plaza sculpture: A sculpture by indigenous architect Christopher Cornelius is planned for one of the planter beds in the Plaza in August. A dedication to the new plaza name and sculpture will be held in the fall.
8. Hardscape between Ormsby and Hiett: The hardscape is scheduled for replacement June 14 – September 3.
9. Bjorklunden: A lighting upgrade and viewing deck are being installed through the summer. These projects are expected to wrap up in early fall.
10. Ormsby Hall: HVAC control upgrade. Starting in mid-June and finishing late August.
11. Colman elevator: A new elevator will be installed in Colman from mid-June through late August.
12. 224 Park Avenue: A new garage is in progress, with completion expected this summer.
13. Music Drama electrical: Upgrades to the electrical system are in progress, with an expected early summer completion.
14. Memorial Chapel windows: All stained-glass windows are currently being replaced in the chapel. Replacements will be complete by the end of the summer.
15. Briggs: The 1st floor former CAS suite is. Being renovated to house a new faculty lab.
16. Youngchild labs: A remodel of new faculty lab space is underway.
17. Sidewalk replacement: General maintenance on campus sidewalks will take place throughout summer.
18. Johnson Controls: The campus-wide lighting upgrade and science building fume hood upgrades will be complete by the end of July.
19. Lawrence Community Music School: An upgrade to the building’s HVAC and power will be complete by the end of June.

*Projects and dates subject to change

Lawrence University entered a performance contract with Johnson Controls to perform energy efficiency initiatives on campus. A performance contract means that the cost of the work is paid for by the savings gained from the more efficient replacement systems. The work will run from September 1^st through the end of May 2021 and will include a lighting retrofit for nineteen buildings, a chiller upgrade in Music Drama and fume hood upgrades in Steitz and Youngchild. Johnson Controls employees will be on campus daily during this period in most public campus buildings. There is no work taking place in small houses. The lighting retrofit will run from September 1^st – January 7^th. The chiller upgrade in Music Drama will run from October 19^th -February 5^th , and the fume hood upgrades in Steitz and Youngchild will run from September 12^th – March 30^th. We appreciate your patience as these important cost saving and energy efficient measures are implemented. Please contact Facilities at 920-832-6602 with any questions! 

Lighting retrofit schedule: 

The City of Appleton is currently working on improvements to the College Avenue and Lawe Street intersection. 

The project started on July 7, and they expect to have it completed in about three weeks. Diagrams of the project are available here.

As we venture forward, a small team has been established to make decisions for facilities’ requests from internal campus colleagues (students, faculty, and staff) and external constituents (alumni, Appleton community members, etc.). We will rely on this team to determine who, what, and where activities can occur as we phase in facilities’ usage.

Currently several colleagues across campus are receiving these requests and understandably forwarding them to members of the LPPT or Cabinet for decision. To ensure we are handling these equitably in both access and decision, we want all to know the team exists and the membership – Jon Meyer (from the facilities, custodial, and security aspects), Erin Buenzli (from the health group of LPPT), Matt Baumler (from the Outside In visitors group of LPPT), and Mary Alma Noonan (coordinating the requests for consistency and equity).

Please feel free to reach out to any member of the team with any request you have or has been directed to you.

Due to the construction project of a new exterior staircase on the west side of Buchanan-Kiewit Wellness Center, a section of the upper and lower roads, in this construction area, will be closed off for approximately 3 hours on Monday, June 29.  There will be a crane in use to place the pre-built sections of stairs.

Thank you!

Facility Services

Mail services will continue, but with changes and limitations. The mailroom is also sanitizing all packages upon receipt.  

Faculty & Staff 

Campus delivery to buildings will only happen once a day, usually between 8-10 a.m., to a pre-arranged location with each department to avoid close contact.  

Students

Students remaining on campus 

Students remaining on campus will still receive mail and packages. For package pick-up, students must arrange a time with the mailroom for a no-contact delivery. The mailroom can be reached at mail.services@lawrence.edu or 920-832-6657.

Students departing campus 

Packages will no longer be accepted for departed students once spring term begins. Only students living on campus can pick up packages. Other mail will be forwarded to the student at the address they requested, or to the address we have on file if the University was not provided with specific instructions.

WE Energies is planning a power outage for the Con West building (313, 315 and 317 E. College Avenue) on Sunday, January 19 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon.  They will also be closing off the alley during this time.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Facility Services.

There will be a brief power outage in the early morning of Dec. 10th.

A large portion of campus will be without power from 5 am to 7 am.

The only campus buildings NOT effected will be: Warch Campus Center, Youngchild, Stietz, Ormsby, and Hiett Hall.

The only campus houses that WILL BE effected are: Raymond, Sabin and the International House.

October 21, 2019

Dear City Park Historic District Neighbors, city officials, and Lawrence Community,

We write today with the announcement that we’ve made a very difficult decision regarding the Lawrence-owned property at 229 N. Union St. The home, which suffered extensive damage in an October 2018 fire, will be torn down in the coming days, and the property will be returned to green space.

The decision to demolish the home follows a year of study by architects, engineers, and City of Appleton inspectors. We explored an assortment of options for renovating or restoring the home. In the end, the fire damage was too extensive to make the house viable. It is with great sadness that we have made the necessary arrangements to have the home demolished.

We are notifying the Lawrence community and neighbors because we understand and appreciate the historical significance of this home. It was built in 1901 and has been owned by Lawrence since 1928, serving a variety of purposes through the years. Perhaps most noteworthy, Attic Theatre was founded in this home. We celebrated that history a little more than two years ago when we had the 2,700-square-foot home moved a block down Union Street.

Unfortunately, the damage from the fire last fall was too much to overcome. The fire occurred while a contractor was working on renovations. The contractor’s insurance is covering the loss and the demolition. At the time of the fire, Lawrence was preparing the home to become the residence for the provost and dean of faculty. Alternative housing arrangements have been made.

A small slice of Appleton and Lawrence history will be lost with the demolition. For that, we are heartbroken and know that those who appreciate that history are feeling the same.

Sincerely,

Joseph King

Construction Project Manager

Lawrence University

Joseph.m.king@lawrence.edu