By Dee Richardson
Renovation to Coblentz-Memorial Hall has set the tone for a new and exciting school year for the Hood community.
Fencing has been placed around the dormitory to restrict access to the building as construction begins working on the inside.
According to Director of Finance Robert Klinedinst, the renovation is part of an effort to keep all residence halls up to date and up to code and to ensure the safety of the students and the stability of the buildings.
The renovation has an approved $11 million budget, but this number is yet to be finalized as construction continues.
Klinedinst, who began working at Hood two months ago, said not much work has been done to Memorial in recent years. The last noted construction project was in 2012 to upgrade the fire alarm system. Before that, Memorial underwent smaller changes, such as added air conditioning and windows.
According to Klinedinst, the cost room and board will be affected once the renovation is complete. As the quality of housing increases, so will the cost of living in newly renovated buildings. The plan is to keep the cost of older buildings like Shriner Hall, Smith Hall, Meyran Hall, and Coblentz Hall as low as possible, while adjusting the cost of newer buildings like Blazer Hall.
The cost of room and board increases approximately by $100 for older buildings and approximately $200 for Blazer Hall yearly. Klinedinst reassured that Hood is aware that not everyone’s financial situation can handle changes, even if they seem small. “The goal is to control the costs, but depending on your financial situation, it can be hard for some,” Klinedinst said.
According to Klinedinst, Hood is always willing to work with students to help those who are concerned about financial adjustments such as this.
Some students may worry about the possibility of overcrowding on campus. With the new addition of Blazer Hall, finding living spaces for new and returning students was not a problem, but was indeed a challenge, Klinedinst said.
Before the construction of Blazer Hall, there were originally five residency halls, but the addition of Blazer Hall made it six. The addition of the new residence hall was a proactive move on Hood’s part, according to Klinedinst, as it replaced some of the lost capacity from the Memorial renovation.
Additionally, the fourth floors of Meyran Hall and Coblentz Hall have large single rooms that have the same dimensions as a shared double. These rooms were furnished to become shared doubles to accommodate residents.
Coblentz-Memorial Hall is expected to be open for students in August of 2023. The building will be more accessible and have more up-to-code appliances, such as a new functioning elevator. “I know students don’t get excited about things like that, but you’ll feel the difference,” Klinedinst said.
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