UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 2
September 12, 1996
Summer upgrades provide facelift for residence halls

     The painting of 900 student rooms in 24 residence halls and
the cosmetic upgrade of the East Campus and Pencader Complex were
part of an extensive list of renovation projects completed by
Housing and Conference Facilities during the summer.
     More than 2,500 gallons of paint were applied to all rooms
in Harrington, Russell, Gilbert and Brown residence halls, as
well as to the rooms on floors 1-13 of Christiana West apartments
and in all the rooms in buildings A through F of the Pencader
Complex.
     At Pencader, overhead lighting was installed, and furniture,
carpeting and draperies were replaced. Bathrooms were improved by
replacing toilet stall partitions and applying new paint. Also,
new signage identifies each Pencader building.
     The second phase of a project to upgrade the appearance of
public areas and corridors on the East Campus also was completed,
including work in four lobbies and 24 corridors in the Russell
and Harrington residence complexes, which received new lighting,
carpeting and ceiling and floor tiles.
     An expansion of space available for students with
disabilities was completed on the first floor of Harrington E,
which now has wheelchair-accessible public restrooms for both men
and women.
     According to Ralph Johnson, director of housing and
conference facilities, the annual improvements were made to
improve the comfort of student users and to make the living
environment more attractive.
     Several other residence hall renovation projects were
completed during the summer. Four domestic, hot water generators
were installed in the Dickinson Complex, with heat and hot water
systems being converted from oil to gas. New carpeting was added
to floors 10-13 in Christiana West Towers and in Rodney D and E.
A new fire alarm system was installed in the Ray Street complex
and new window screens were added to rooms in Sypherd Hall.
     In addition, graduate and family housing in Conover West
received new heating and ventilation systems, including air
conditioning units installed in each apartment for the first time
and a new fire detection system. Cosmetic upgrades in that
complex included new floor tiling, carpeting, painting and
lighting replacements. 
                                                     -Richard Gaw