By Will Kamps, Angela White, Emily Krause & Kely Schmitz
With a snowy winter right around the corner, the construction efforts on the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay campus are coming to an end for the year.
Construction has been happening on the campus since June of 2021. The majority of the construction takes place on three main buildings and areas on campus; Mary Ann Cofrin Hall (MAC), Wood Hall, and Instructional Services.
The current construction of Mary Ann Cofrin Hall and Wood Hall is to remove and replace failed wall sealants, repair brick and limestone masonry and mortar, remove ornamental steel frame at north elevation, and repair water damage at window seals, and more.
“Mac has never been roofed since the building is only 20 years old. We add insulation, new material, new panel systems, and wall system envelope repairs that address heat transfer and water infiltration. This will be completed by the end of December 2021,” Paul Pinkston, UWGB’s Director of Facilities Planning and Management, stated.
The Instructional services construction project will provide a new Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) and Physics Learning Center as well as a new Media Lab production center including audio, broadcast production, and recording spaces, gaming streaming, radio studio, associated control rooms, and support spaces, work area, and an improved TV Studio.
The construction for MAC and Wood Hall was supposed to be completed by the beginning of the fall semester. However, the efforts did not conclude until the 20th of November, just a few weeks before the end of the fall semester. The final restoration of these areas will continue in the spring semester of 2022.
Construction scaffolding in front of MAC.
Students have received many emails throughout the semester about accessing doors and entrances of many common instructional buildings. Some weeks, entrances are blocked due to construction. The UW-Green Bay Police Department recently got involved by sending an email out to students about the icy conditions and offering advice on dealing with the winter weather.
“It’s honestly been kind of a nuisance,” says Becca VanAsten, a Business student at UWGB, “some days, half of the main entrances I need to get to class on time are blocked by construction. I cannot wait for it to be completed.”
“Instructional Services was planned to be finished by January 2022, but we can’t get all the materials to finish the project. We can’t provide a firm completion date,” Pinkston continued. The work in the Instructional Services area is making progress but is delayed by supply shipping issues.