By Logan Samuels, News Editor
While Hood students were lounging on the sand of a beach, working furiously at their summer job or landing their dream internship, Hood College underwent several changes to make the campus more functional and presentable for its staff and students. Every summer, there are a variety of changes to the buildings and facilities at Hood and this summer was no different. Last summer brought about new security cameras to increase campus safety and updated furniture, carpets and painting for Smith Hall. This summer has also had its fair share of projects and renovations with some already completed and others carrying on through the new school year and next summer.
John Wichser, The Director of Facilities, explains that “Capital Projects are projects that were submitted and approved by the Board of Trustees for the major improvements to the campus and campus buildings”. The main summer renovations were Capital Projects, specifically the work done on Tatem Hall and the Hodson Science building. “A 15-month renovation for Tatem Arts will add a 6,300 square foot addition that will include a new elevator and bathrooms on every floor”. Tatem will also receive new classrooms and offices in lieu of Price Auditorium. In addition to the new space and renovated areas of the building, Tatem will undergo the “installation of a new state-of-the-art, energy efficient, heating and air-conditioning system that will provide air-conditioning to 100% of the building…[compared to the previous 40%]. Tatem Arts will also receive a new fire sprinkler and alarm system, new lighting and paint and carpeting for all offices and classrooms.
The Nursing and Coastal Studies programs can get excited for some new additions to the Hodson Science center. “The Hodson project included the build-out of 3,000 square feet on the third floor” on the south end for the nursing program. Six “hospital-style lab rooms” with ‘smart’ mannequins able to simulate patient-like symptoms and a new classroom have been added. On the north end of the third floor, there will be new space and labs for the Coastal Studies program and for Math Science. A grant from the state of Maryland, matched funds from the Hodson foundation and Hood College capital funding helped make the Tatem and Hodson renovations possible.
In addition to Tatem and Hodson, there are several other capital projects that have been completed this summer like air-conditioning in the Coblentz kitchen, new furniture in the Sunset apartments, and a new fire sprinkler system in the Marx Center. Memorial Hall received a major facelift with new windows, updated bathrooms, fresh paint, new ceilings and new carpeting in all of the halls and rooms. The beautiful new fountain was able to be built due to a “generous private donation” and is located “on the Alumnae Hall Plaza next to Hodson Drive”.
Maintenance projects that happen every summer and are included in the Facilities budget included: a new sidewalk from the Pergola to Coblentz, repaving the parking lot of Memorial hall, landscaping and waterproofing for the Meyran foundation, updating and renovating offices on the second floor of Strawn Cottage, improving landscaping, new paint in Coblentz, re-striping the parking lots and improving drainage near the Marx Center.
There have been dozens of changes and improvements this summer which makes getting back to Hood especially exciting and leads to the question: what will they do next summer?
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