Since Aug. 19, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students have been sleeping, socializing, and preparing for the new year in the college’s newest campus residence, now open for business following a renovation that began last December.

With fresh paint, stylish furniture, and a striking new lounge, 96 Campus Avenue has welcomed a handful of early arrivals, including student Residence Life staff, leaders of forthcoming AESOP trips for first-year students, and athletes starting their practices.

With the influx of the full student body this weekend, 57 of the building’s 65 student beds will be filled. (A residence director also moved in last week.)

Following a period of years during which 96 Campus Avenue housed a day care and offices, the renovation has returned the three-story brick building to its residential roots. It was constructed in 1977 to house nuns of the Society of the Sisters of Charity, who worked at the facility nearby that is now known as St. Mary’s Health System.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ bought the building in 2021 and decided just 11 months ago to convert it into a dorm.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ newest student residence, seen from Campus Ave. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Having moved out of their office area at 96 Campus Avenue as the building’s makeover neared its end, Consigli Construction staff hold a meeting in the building’s new main lobby — formerly a truck bay. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

96 Campus Avenue awaits its inhabitants on Aug. 21, 2024. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

A few students had already moved into 96 Campus Avenue when we visited on Aug. 21. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Student rooms at 96 Campus Avenue are ready for their occupants. This first-floor room faces east. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The bed, chests of drawers, a desk, and a chair in a single room at 96 Campus Avenue. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Shown on the deck at 96 Campus Avenue are new picnic tables and Adirondack chairs that have supplemented the tables, at rear, that came with the building. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

“I feel good about the project — I mean, it was a great transformation,â€� Brian Lanoie, the Facility Services project manager in charge of the makeover, told us during an Aug. 21 tour. “It was extremely helpful that it was designed as a dormitory. 

“And we had a great team,� in project designers Lavallee | Brensinger Architects and construction management firm Consigli Construction. “We had the typical hiccups that you would expect, but we overcame those, and obviously we’re open on time.

“So overall, for the incredibly short timeframe we had, I’m very happy with the project.â€�

The city of Lewiston certified the building as fit for occupancy on Aug. 9, and on that same day Consigli returned control of the building to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ as the two parties agreed that the project was, in the formal term, substantially complete. Still, minor chores remained, Lanoie explained during our tour.

Most could be categorized as punch-list items — minor problems revealed during final inspections. Those included a “little bit of everything,� Lanoie said. For instance, back-ordered items awaiting installation: a unit heater, a few light fixtures, some door hardware.

Plus “a lot of touch-up painting. There’s woodwork that needs to be fixed or replaced in some areas. There’s a broken pane of glass that needs to be repaired. The bike rack isn’t installed yet.�

He continued, “When I looked this morning, there were 75 items still being tracked, and we’re probably going to find some more� encountered by occupants as they settle in.

Another late-in-the-game routine, though, is all but done. So-called commissioning, the process of testing the building’s utilities equipment, can be completed as soon as that back-ordered heater is installed. In fact, the firm providing the new building-management controls, Maine Controls, was scheduled to train Facility Services staff on Aug. 22.

Moving away from punch-lists and commissioning, the 96 Campus Avenue grounds still need touching up. St. Laurent & Son, the local firm responsible for site work on the project, will patch the lawn where construction equipment gouged it around the building. Meanwhile, in a separate project, Gottlieb Landscape Design of Mount Vernon will spiff up the tree-shaded area near the dorm’s outdoor deck.

The conclusion of the 96 Campus Avenue project will also conclude, for now, the presence on campus of Consigli, whose representatives have been at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ overseeing major construction at least as far back as 2006 — and more or less continuously since 2018 and the start of the Bonney Science Center.

Finally, Lanoie pointed out that he and Chris Streifel, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ director of capital planning and construction (and for years our guide through a number of big projects) have been working on a “Day 2 listâ€� — possible upgrades to 96 Campus Avenue that have emerged in the course of the renovation just ending.

For example, an aging section of roof near the building’s new entrance should be replaced, as should the door to the building’s former main entrance. Putting a single metal door there in place of the current pair of glass doors would send a clear message that the main entrance is elsewhere (in fact, relocated to a former service area in an annex facing the main campus).

“We’ll see if we can afford to do those based on what our contingency (fund) looks like at the end of the job,” Lanoie said. “And then we’ll prioritize that list and we’ll try to focus on them, maybe during a holiday break, and see what we can get done.â€� (Campus Construction Update’s equivalent list at home is called the “2020 2023 2030 List.â€�)

They left us with crumbs: By the time you read this (or at least skim it in search of wacky humor), a substantial portion of the Russell Street soccer field will be green. In the first phase of installing a new FieldTurf playing surface, workers for the turf manufacturer began rolling out long strips of the plastic grass-like product early in the week.

Laying down the new FieldTurf surface at Russell Street Field on Aug. 27, 2024. Most of the turf sections weigh 1,269 pounds and are 15 feet wide and 183 feet long. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Workers are installing a new FieldTurf surface at Russell Street Field on Aug. 27, 2024. Note the gravel subgrade in the foreground and the freshly laid turf in back. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The layers of FieldTurf are placed grassy side to grassy side to be stitched together. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Artificial grass is woven into a heavy fabric matrix to form the basis of the new FieldTurf playing surface at Russell Street Field. Sand and crumb-rubber infill will support the grass and impart desirable playing qualities to the field. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Dan Gleason, FieldTurf site supervisor, uses a handheld sewing machine to stitch together sections of the new Russell Street Field playing surface. One worker precedes Gleason, blowing compressed air to clear debris. Others simply support the heavy turf using grippers like the one at left. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

A close look at the crumb-rubber and sand infill that will be spread over the new FieldTurf playing surface. (Jay Burns/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

As workers used specialized machinery to unspool the turf onto the subgrade, that process was heavy and mechanical. But as other workers adjusted the seams and sewed the strips together, it was also precise and hands-on.

Each strip of turf is 15 feet wide, 183 feet long, and, not surprisingly, heavy — nearly 1,300 pounds. What was surprising is how fast a team of workers, half-a-dozen or so, could fasten the seam between two strips. For that process, the strips were arranged face to face — grassy side to grassy side.

Several members of the team used tong-like grippers to raise the strips, align them, clamp them together for stitching, and set them down again. In the middle of the group, one worker blew debris out of the seam with a jet of compressed air and another, FieldTurf site supervisor Dan Gleason, used a handheld electric sewing machine to stitch the seam.

As he moved along, the strip wranglers on the loose side got out of his way and crossed behind him to handle the stitched area.

By mid-afternoon Tuesday, Farnsworth noted, about three-quarters of the turf was in place. But it will take much longer, probably a couple of weeks, for the next phase of the job: working infill into the turf. That infill, reclaimed from prior turf surfaces elsewhere, comprises a mix of sand and rubber crumbs. After they use up the reclaimed material, “they will finish off the top of the field with new rubber pellets.�

The infill provides shock absorption, structural stability, and, by holding the grass blades upright, an aesthetic benefit.

And the handwork will return later with the quasi-surgical activity of excising bits of turf so that sport-specific lines (such as the penalty area in soccer or goalie crease in lacrosse) and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½-branding visuals can be stitched into the openings.

The infill has provided an additional aesthetic treat, too, but it’s temporary. Rubber crumbs started arriving last week, creating a spectacle at the Russell Street parking lot: a reef of fabric bags seeming to stretch from horizon to horizon, all filled with rubber crumbs (putting us in mind of the Three Stooges’ ditty, “She was bred in old Kentucky, but she’s just a crumb up hereâ€�). 

The crumbs are created by freezing and shattering worn-out (or you might say, retired) tires.

The Russell Street Field revamp also includes new field lights, and the bases for those, made of precast concrete, are in place. A crane will visit the field Sept. 5–6 to erect the poles and place the lamp arrays, which should be fun to watch.

Paul Farnsworth, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ project manager for the field makeover, explains that the lights are activated for games by a central computer system. That system is a proprietary service provided by the lighting manufacturer, MUSCO, of Oskaloosa, Iowa. (ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is a longtime MUSCO customer.)

Clients log in and indicate when the lights should shine, and the computer makes it happen wirelessly. The only wired connection is for the raw electricity feeding the lamps. (This makes more sense than what we had pictured: someone running around at game time to switch on each of the four field lights by pulling a very, very long chain.)

Finally, changes are coming to the Russell Street facilities for softball and for throwing events. New batting cages, one for visiting teams and one for the Bobcats, are being built.

Also under construction are a throwing cage for discus and hammer, and a javelin runway. The latter, Farnsworth explains, is needed because the old one is too close to the soccer field — “we can’t throw javelins into our new turf.â€� (The old runway will remain, but for use only with rubber-tipped javelins.)

These features are going into a grassy patch between the softball outfield and St. Mary’s Health System property. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ Ultimate teams and other sports have used that area in the past, and they’ll have more options with the new Field Turf. 

Can we talk? Send your thoughts about past, present, future, and parallel-universe ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ construction projects to Doug Hubley. Please put “Construction Updateâ€� or “Was Shemp ever funny at all?â€� in the subject line.

Doug Hubley is a writer and musician living in Portland, Maine.

Begun last year, a facilities project with a powerful resonance for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ people — a resonance both historic and literal — was completed last week.

Since July 30, a new mechanism has been tolling the noon hour every day on the venerable Hathorn Hall bell. The new striker whacks the outside of the 167-year-old bell, in contrast to the old-school electric mechanism it replaced, which sounded the bell by swinging it so that a clapper would strike the inside. (Still earlier, students were hired to live in Hathorn and ring the bell.)

The road to the replacement was long, involving considerable work to improve access to and conditions within Hathorn’s attic and belfry. (And replacement of HVAC machinery in the attic coincided with the bell work.) The last steps needed in the run-up to the striker, says Alan Kelley, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ manager of mechanical and electrical services, promoted “safe access to the actual bellâ€� — improvements to the belfry ladders and creation of a tie-off point for fall protection.

The striker was fabricated by Elderhorst Bells of Palm, Pa. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ electricians installed it, with assistance from clock expert Peter Rioux of Winterport, Maine. Rioux, says Kelley, helped position “the new striker and set up the new bell controller.â€� (The striker controls are located elsewhere in Hathorn.)

Kelley adds that a smartphone app will eventually become an additional means of operating the bell. “Information and Library Services is figuring out the needed network configuration and level of security for this feature. We’re also purchasing a remote control that can be used to manually control the bell for special occasions.�

Don’t fence us out: Walking up Campus Avenue last week, we were pleased to see the latest addition to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ fleet of student residences — literally pleased to see it, because the fence that had largely hidden construction activities at 96 Campus Avenue from passers-by was gone.

Built as a Sisters of Charity convent in 1977 and later given over to offices, 96 Campus Avenue has spent much of 2024 becoming ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ newest student residence. The fence that wasn’t there last week is just one of several outward signs that the building’s transformation is near its end.

What else? There are many fewer people at work there (and therefore fewer vehicles). The parking lot has been paved and striped and its signage installed.

The installation of new windows and other glasswork, which has been the project team’s top priority for the last few weeks, is all but done. All the metal-and-glass “storefrontâ€� units are in place, but window trim is still being fitted and painted, and seams being caulked, both inside and out. 

Perhaps the most important markers of progress, though, aren’t obvious: A formal inspection by the city of Lewiston scheduled for Aug. 9 is expected to lead to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ certificate of occupancy, allowing the college to start using the building. “The big push (these days) is to get ready for that,â€� ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ project manager Brian Lanoie told us during our July 30 visit.

In a month this newly refurbished third-floor corridor in 96 Campus Avenue will be busy with student residents. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Used at 96 Campus Avenue for window trim and other purposes, Azek is a manufactured building material. The brand name is printed on a protective film that will be peeled off prior to painting. The trees are part of the view from the eastern side of the building. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

New washers for student use at 96 Campus Avenue. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The mechanical room at 96 Campus Avenue. From left, features include sanitary discharge, water intakes for fire suppression and domestic water, and two gray heaters for domestic hot water. The wheeled contraption is used for bending electrical conduits. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

A splash of daylight on new carpeting in a second-floor seating area at 96 Campus Avenue. The blue material will be rolled out to protect the new carpet from incidental damage. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Around the same time, in a similar vein, the company that has managed the project for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ will return formal control of 96 Campus Avenue to the college. In a contractual action known as “substantial completion,â€� this is when ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and Consigli Construction, which has partnered with the college on major construction projects dating back at least to 2006, mutually declare that the building is ready for its intended use.

As Campus Construction Update likes to remind you, since we are continually rediscovering it ourselves, things lead to other things. In the category of formal inspections, for instance, Lanoie noted that city approval of all the above-ceiling electrical work was attained on July 29. (Not to be confused with “the above ceiling electrical work,� as we hadn’t mentioned any yet.)

That gave the ceiling installers the green light to install the rest of the drop-ceiling tiles on the first floor, a process known in the trade as “flooding.� (This strikes us as a much neater way to flood a ceiling than some we have tried. But we won’t comment on the logic of calling something “drop� that is placed above one’s head. Unless you have flooded the ceiling with water, in which case it could also be called a “drip ceiling.�)

Meanwhile, punch-listing is well underway. Not to be mistaken for a key step in summer-party planning, this is a conclusive round of detailed construction inspections and consequent repairs. Engineers from the firm that designed the 96 Campus Avenue conversion, Lavallee | Brensinger Architects, began that process in mid-July.

Also in train is commissioning, the protocol of testing and adjusting major systems such as HVAC and domestic water heating. Like punch-listing, commissioning starts late in a construction project, but differs in that it can stretch out into months. That’s because demands on machinery change as the seasons change. 

On top of all that, beds and mattresses arrived and were installed on Aug. 5, and all of the lounge furniture two days later. New England Woodcraft of Forest Dale, Vt., is providing student-room furniture aside from mattresses, which come from Bourdon’s Institutional Sales of Claremont, N.H. Based in Portland, Creative Office Resources is outfitting the lounge areas at 96 Campus Avenue.

Lanoie explained during our tour that ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Residence Life staff and the project architects took the lead in selecting styles and colors for the new furniture. “We typically give the design team as much creativity as they want,â€� Lanoie said — but he and Res Life folks also examined furnishings already in use around campus, as well as visiting the Creative Office Resources showroom. 

“You’ll see some pieces that are similar to what you see in other ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ residence halls,â€� he said. “Certainly the fabrics will be different, more in line with the color scheme of the building.â€�

Finally, Lanoie informed us that Facility Services tradespeople have started training on technical systems at the new dorm — so-called owner training. Training on mechanical and sprinkler systems took place in mid-July and plumbing training at the beginning of this month.

“So that’s good. That’s a sign that we’re getting close� to completion, Lanoie said.

He added, “The ping-pong table arrives on Aug. 8.�

Get the LED in: When we swung by Russell Street Field on July 30, a few workers and fewer machines were tending to the subgrade recently placed in the oval expanse inside the track. The team from Shaw Brothers, a prominent earthworks firm based in Gorham, Maine, were finalizing the depth, contours, and other details of the gray crushed stone that constitutes the subgrade.

All this was in preparation for installation of a new synthetic playing surface, a composition of plastic grass, sand, and rubber crumbs that will replace the living grass that had failed to thrive there after its placement in 2019. That replacement will not only provide a durable surface but also vastly expand the field’s availability and its use beyond soccer.

But the CORE field turf, a product line manufactured in Georgia by the field turf manufacturer FieldTurf, won’t appear quite yet. This week a concrete curb is being poured around the outside of the oval. Strips of wood, so-called nailers, will be attached to this curb, and the turf will be nailed to the nailers. (The circularity, or perhaps ovality, of this description boggles the mind.)

The nails attaching the turf will be stainless steel and there will be about 1,320 of them, driven around the field’s quarter-mile circumference at the rate of one per foot, says Paul Farnsworth, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ project manager for the project. 

Men and machines prepare the crushed-stone subgrade at Russell Street Field. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

A Shaw Bros. team works on the crushed stone subgrade at Russell Street Field in preparation for the placement of artificial turf. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

An excavator loads dirt and sod into a dump truck for disposal at Russell Street Field as the replacement of natural grass with artificial turf gets underway on July 15. Some of the dirt will be sifted and reused in landscaping elsewhere on the site. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

On July 15, a Shaw Bros. excavator scrapes up the natural turf laid at Russell Street Field back in 2019. A manufactured surface will replace the grass. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The yellow gizmos topping the masts on this Shaw Bros. bulldozer are transceivers for the GPS system that guides the operator at Russell Street Field. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Shown in mid-July, this wood-and-steel ramp enabled heavy equipment to cross into the Russell Street Field work zone without damaging the track surface, which is just a couple years old. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

After the curb and nailers are in place, some minor electrical work will have to be done, Farnsworth added. “And then it’s a last check on the grading before they call in the turf field people.�

Those people are scheduled to get to work during the last week of August.

In the meantime, though, installation of new field lights has begun. This week foundation holes for two of the four Musco-brand lights were dug on the bleachers side of the field. The foundations, 8-foot-long precast concrete tubes, will be planted next, followed by the setting-up of poles and lights. Two more lights will be installed on the Russell Street side. 

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has been using Musco lights for years, with arrays around Garcelon and Campus Avenue fields. But the new lights will be LED, as opposed to the metal halide lamps in use at Garcelon and Campus Avenue. (Metal halide lamps, like the more familiar mercury vapor units, use high-intensity gas discharge technology. Metal halide units are long-lasting and at least 10 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, but LED still beats ’em both.) 

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update loves to hear from you. Please send questions, comments, reminiscences, and inflammatory speculation about construction at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College to dhubley@bates.edu, with “Campus Constructionâ€� or “What kind of punch tastes good with a knuckle sandwich?â€� in the subject line.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½â€™ recent architectural adventures, as regular readers of Campus Construction Update know, have emphasized bringing daylight indoors.

We’ve seen it in new construction, such as the Bonney Science Center with its two-story glass-walled Beacon and ample expanses of interior glass. Perhaps more dramatically, we’ve also seen it in the renovation of such venerable structures as Dana and Chase halls, where creative design and lots of glass have brought long views and bright sun to formerly dim and cramped interiors.

The renovation of 96 Campus Avenue that began last winter extends that theme. Sited just beyond Campus Avenue Field, the building was constructed 47 years ago as a convent. Faith may have been strong, but it wasn’t enough to infuse with grace the structure‘s drab institutional aesthetic. Among other characteristics, that style was manifested in a significant number of fairly small windows.

But now, as part of the building’s transformation into a student residence, the installation of new windows has begun, including quite a few that will let the sunshine into once-gloomy spaces.  

“We call them storefront windows,� said Brian Lanoie, the Facility Services project manager overseeing the renovation, during a tour last week. That type of window has a metal frame (black aluminum in this case) designed for minimal interference with incoming light and exterior sightlines.

96 Campus Avenue, whose conversion into a ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ student residence will be effectively complete in less than two months, looms above the construction site fence and a new sidewalk along the Facility Services access road. Note the new window unit — one of many to be installed – just above center. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

The first of two coats of asphalt on this new sidewalk alongside 96 Campus Avenue was placed on July 1. The topcoat isn’t due till late in the building’s renovation. This walk connects to a major east-west walkway at the left end of Alumni Gym, at rear. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Here’s the northern end of the new footpath linking the new student residence at 96 Campus Avenue to a major east-west campus walk, barely visible at center. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Still occupying the pallet they came in on, new cabinets await installation at 96 Campus Avenue by subcontractor Windham Millwork. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

This excavation at the 96 Campus Avenue parking lot entrance will be landscaped into a swale for handling storm runoff — as evidenced by the drain at left. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

Consigli communications and the business end of an excavator at 96 Campus Avenue, seen from the street. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

An excavator and dump truck are removing a driveway that’s no longer needed in front of 96 Campus Avenue. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

A third-floor hallway at 96 Campus Avenue. Note the new paint and, at rear, the new window, which is called storefront glass. (Doug Hubley/ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ College)

When we visited, most of the new window units hadn’t shown up yet, and tired old plastic sheets were still covering the openings. Just a few of the new units were in place, on the second and third floors. Even in limited number, though, their effect was striking. 

And a full-court press of window installation began this week. “Windows are the hottest item right now,� Lanoie said. “They’re doing all that they can to prep (window openings) so that when the windows do arrive, they can slap them in.

“I feel as if other trades are in pretty good shape. All the other components are here or they’re in the vendors’ hands, ready to be installed.â€� Along with the windows, the project is now a race to close up other exterior openings, such as doors, and to complete wall, floor, and ceiling finishes.

All that needs to be done by Aug. 5, when the delivery of furniture is scheduled to begin. So,  Lanoie said, “we’ve got a month to go and still a decent amount of work left to be done.â€�

Other August milestones will include a city inspection pursuant to bestowing the certificate of occupancy, giving ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ legal permission to use the space; and the attainment of “substantial completion,â€� a contractual point at which Consigli Construction, the firm managing the renovation, hands the building back over to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ (although the firm will remain involved with the project for some time thereafter).

Lanoie noted that major utilities work is well along. The connection supplying natural gas for heating domestic water has been made, though the meter hasn’t been installed yet. The duct work linking two new rooftop air handlers to the building HVAC system is complete, and the firm Cornerstone Commissioning, charged with testing the building’s systems, has begun inspecting that installation. 

Three additional HVAC machines on the first floor are installed and hookup is all but done.

Third-floor finishes were looking quite finished when we strolled through. The textured blue plastic membrane that protects new carpets and floor tiles from damage covered the floors. In addition to flooring and paint, most fixtures had been fitted and ceramic tiles placed in the bathrooms, and permanent lighting units were clinging to the ceilings.

As we’ve mentioned previously, much of the same work is happening on the second floor as the third but, by design, it’s not quite as far along. Another difference between the third and second floors is that the latter incorporates a collection of single and double student rooms configured from what had been the convent’s two-story chapel.

Those rooms are now sufficiently complete that their floor plans, height — 12-foot ceilings — and sizable windows can be appreciated. Very appealing.

In a slight change in the project’s scope, each of those floors will also boast a small room designated as a non-denominational space for prayer and meditation — a type of facility ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ students have increasingly been requesting, said Lanoie.

Meanwhile, the layout of the first floor has become much more comprehensible, with most new walls in place and much less visual confusion from tools, coils of cable, and stacks of building supplies. (Although we were happy to gawk at a big pile of nice new cabinetry out on the building’s patio awaiting the attention of carpenters from Windham Millwork.) 

The first floor is dominated at the street end by a corridor of student rooms, and at the far end by two major features: the two-bedroom apartment for the residence director and family, and a large student lounge that will offer cooking facilities and two giant windows affording northerly views of woods and Merrill Gym.

Speaking of which, the sections of new walkway that will lead from 96 Campus toward Merrill Gym and thence the rest of campus are partially complete and fully functional. The first of two layers of asphalt was placed last week, with the top coat slated for late in the project.  

And there’s a little more landscaping worth a mention. When we showed up at 96 Campus Avenue for our tour, an excavator was clawing away at the open space between building and street. The machine, Lanoie explained, was removing a concrete driveway that used to serve the front entrance — originally the main entrance.

Because the main entrance henceforth will be on the side of the building facing John Bertram Hall and the rest of campus (facing west instead of south, in other words), project planners wanted to remove features from the south side that say “main entrance.� So grass will be planted where the concrete drive had been. “We’re going to make it a green space,� Lanoie said. �We don’t want it to feel like a main entrance.�

All of which puts us in mind of a lyric by the punk band X: “Put the doorknob on my side.�

Can we talk? Campus Construction Update welcomes your questions, comments, and reminiscences about construction at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. Putting “Campus Constructionâ€� or “Did they row boats with auras on the Eerie Canal?â€� in the subject line, please contact Doug Hubley at dhubley@bates.edu.

Doug Hubley is a writer and musician living in Portland, Maine.