During these summer months, the Tufts Office of Operations is taking advantage of the low volume of students on campus to complete several construction and maintenance projects on the Grafton, Medford and Boston campuses.
In Medford, several maintenance and construction improvement projects are under way, including alterations to the intersection of Packard Ave. and Professor’s Row.
“There’s work on all three campuses. A lot of work goes on while students aren’t here,” Bob Burns, the director of facilities services, told the Daily. “At Professor’s Row and Packard Ave., we’re doing a lot of roadway improvement to make the intersection more user-friendly,” Burns said.
These changes include landscaping the intersection to include raised walkways, and widening of the roadway. “It’s a centerpiece of campus,” Burns said. The maintenance project, according to Burns, is the result of increased safety precautions and in response to complaints about accidents at the intersection.
At the Tufts School of Medicine in Boston, windows are being replaced at the Stern Nutrition Center and the School of Dental Medicine.
Dewick MacPhie Dining Center, along with Capen House, Bromfield-Pearson and Gifford House on the Medford campus are undergoing renovations. “At Dewick we’re working on the exterior of the building, replacing windows, making sure the exterior doesn’t leak,” Burns said. He also mentioned kitchen upgrades inside the dining hall, along with renovated bathrooms and common spaces within the complex.
Scaffolding covers the exterior of Bromfield-Pearson Hall, home to the Department of Mathematics, as the result of major exterior repair. “A new [slate] roof is going on. We’re replacing the windows and installing a handicap walkway,” Burns said.
Burns also mentioned renovations taking place within on-campus housing, including Latin Way.
According to Burns, the total cost of renovations is in excess of $15 million, and is funded by a deferred maintenance budget set by the university.
Your Space Landscape and Construction, Inc. is performing the landscaping and intersection work, according to Burns, and Structure Tone construction is leading the Bromfield-Pearson project. Your Space also installed the brick and granite plaza between the Tisch Library Roof and Goddard Chapel and the upper patio of the Mayer Campus Center.
The Gifford House, where President Monaco and his family reside during the school year, is also undergoing major renovations. “The president is in and out this summer, and we’re doing maintenance on the house. It’s become dated over time; we’re replacing the windows doing work on the President’s Lawn, and basic maintenance,” Burns said.
Columbia Construction Company is responsible for construction efforts to Gifford House. According to Construction Projects Manager Elizabeth McGinnis, the university uses several different construction firms to complete different assignments. “These firms have been very good to us. The pricing is fair, the job is done well, and the projects are often completed under budget,” McGinnis said.
Creating a more accessible campus, accordng to McGinnis, is a priority when considering construction initiatives. “With each project, we consider Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements,” McGinnis said, noting that making a large building like Carmichael Hall fully handicap-accessible would be an expensive undertaking. Burns confirmed the installation of a handicap-accessible lift in Tisch Library.