Construction builds in 2021

Todd John (left) and George Smith (right) are two of the workers who have been busy with the construction in Andover. The project will be completed in 2021 and completely accessible for student use. Photo by Lexi Letterman

Lexi Letterman

Lantern Staff

The Andover campus will soon be united under one roof (save for the 9100 building). The classrooms and offices that have had their home in the 6000 building will be available in the 5000 building starting in the 2020 fall semester. Construction is set to be complete before January 2021.
According to President Kim Krull, the exciting news for students is that their classes and the assistance they need will be more easily accessible. This will also cut down on time needed to drive between buildings if student’s have classes in both buildings, especially if those classes are back-to-back and leave them pressed for time.
“One of the things that we are really excited about is that… that whole area around the Student Union exterior hallway is going to be all student services related,” Krull said.
The vision was to place the student services right by the Student Union to maximize convenience for students. According to Krull, the significant issue created by construction parking, but once it is completed, the 5000 will have expanded parking that will solve the problem.
According to Krull and Assistant Director of Facilities Management Ireland Turner, they are proud of the new collaboration spaces that will be offered to students. They should provide a quiet space to study or collaborate and will feature screens that can be used to reserve the space. There will also be a new science lab in the building.
Turner said that the remodeling has stayed on schedule with only a few unexpected problems.
“[You] tear down a wall and there’s something you didn’t know was there, but you always have these [occurrences] on a big remodel,” Turner said.
The construction has only affected parking for students based on what Krull has heard in the student forums that she hosts. Students have been told to park and use the shuttle to travel between classes for the semester. Because of this, the college has covered the expense of the shuttle for students.
There are three phases to the construction, which officially started in September 2018. Phase one is expected to be completed by Tuesday, Dec. 24. Phase two is expected to be complete by the summer of 2020 and phase three is expected to be complete by Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The new construction will in no way affect the 9100 building. It will remain the same in the following semesters.