As part of STEM@DRAKE construction, 27th Street will close permanently on March 14. No parking or thru traffic will be allowed; two handicap parking spaces at the south end of the west side of 27th Street will remain open. Sidewalks along 27th Street will also be shut down. For an overview of closures, visit the Building STEM@DRAKE website.
Tag Archives: STEM@DRAKE
Drake breaks ground on Collier-Scripps Hall
Drake University held a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday, Feb. 27, for the University’s first new academic building in 20 years. Collier-Scripps Hall is a $15 million, 50,000 square-foot facility that will house the University’s School of Education, the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, and The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center. For more information, visit the Drake Newsroom.
STEM@DRAKE construction update
The cold weather has not stopped the hard work of construction crews who began work in early February on the STEM@DRAKE buildings. With input from key impacted groups across campus—including those who teach or have offices near the construction site—several steps are being taken to minimize the disruption that can occur during a large building project. There will be times, however, when concerns or issues arise as a result of construction activity. When that occurs, faculty, staff, or students may contact Public Safety at 271-2222. Public Safety will address your concerns with appropriate construction or facilities personnel, depending on the issue.
Project updates can also be found on the Building STEM@DRAKE website.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Building STEM@DRAKE
The University recently launched a website dedicated to keeping the community apprised of developments related to the STEM@DRAKE construction project. You’ll find updates, floor plans, and more details about the construction at www.drake.edu/buildingstem.
Coffee and construction
Plan to attend the second STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 8:15 a.m., in Olmsted Center, Pomerantz Stage area. Come learn more about plans for construction of the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility and the new Science Connector building. Site plans, what to expect during the construction process, tree removal, fencing, and plans for 27th Street will all be discussed. Construction team members as well as members of the University Steering Team will be on hand to answer questions. A brief project overview will be presented at 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. Light refreshments will be served.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Preparation for construction on campus
Drake’s campus is about to change with the construction of the new Science Connector Building and the new School of Education, and faculty, staff, and students will feel the effects this major construction project. Delivery of construction trailers and the fencing of the construction sites will begin next week. These changes—detailed in this site map—will be in place for approximately 18 months. Below you will find a list of the approximate dates of changes and milestones. I will periodically update these items as the changes occur.
Week of Jan. 25: Construction trailers arrive/set up
First week of February: Fencing of construction sites; closing south lane of Forest Avenue
March 14: Closure of 27th Street and various areas near the construction site:
- 27th Street will close north of Jewett Parking Lot (Jewett Parking Lot will remain open with access from Carpenter Avenue).
- All parking will be removed from the east side of 27th Street.
Note: Commuter parking can be found in the Fine Arts Parking Lot or the parking lot just to the north of Opperman Hall.
Summer 2016: Closure of sidewalk that runs east and west just to the south of Olin
Please review the map and let me know if you have any concerns or issues. Thank you.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director, Operations and Support Services
Tree removal on campus
Over the next few weeks, you will notice the removal of 38 trees on campus. The trees will be removed from two construction sites: between Olin and Fitch halls for the construction of the Science Connector Building (Infill Building Tree Map), and from the south side of Olin Hall to the area just north of Medbury Hall for the School of Education (Education Building Tree Map). This will include all the trees in this area from 27th Street to the 28th Street Plaza.
Drake University will be required by the City of Des Moines and the Drake University Tree USA Committee to replace trees on the campus. As part of the new construction project, the University will plant 64 trees on campus. The trees will be located around the new building sites and other places across the campus.
As part of this removal, Drake will cut down four to five specially picked large oak trees. These particular oaks are approximately 100 years old. The trunks of these oaks will be milled for use in other projects on the campus in the future. The logs will be cut into 20-foot planks and stored for approximately two years; some potential uses of these special pieces of Drake history include wooden benches, picture frames, and more. If you have any other ideas for the use of this wood around campus, please let me know.
We have previously shared the tree information at the STEM@DRAKE Open House and the Holiday Breakfast. Drake University Grounds Department has established a Recommended Campus Trees list of potentially disease-free species to replant on the campus, which you can view here. If you would like to provide input on which trees the University should plant, please email jolene.schmidt@drake.edu.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director of Operations and Support Services
Operations updates
Electrical shutdowns over winter break
A scheduled electrical shutdown for the campus will occur during the Winter Break time. This scheduled shutdown is part of the pre-construction phase prior to the construction of new School of Education and the Science Connector Building.The electrical shutdowns will be on Dec. 28 and Dec. 29. The work will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. each morning. The following is a list of the affected buildings:
- Dec. 28: The electrical shutdown will affect The Knapp Center, Fieldhouse, Bell Center, Shivers, and the Greenhouse. The power outage will last approximately 12 hours. Once this work is completed, the power will not be reconnected to the Greenhouse.
- Dec. 29: The electrical shutdown will affect Jewett Hall, Olin Hall, and Cartwright Hall. The power outage will be approximately two to four hours.
The communication duct work will be completed on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. This may interrupt telephone and Internet services to Olin, Fitch, Harvey Ingham, Medbury, and Cline halls; Facility Services; Environmental Health & Safety; the Fieldhouse; and Bell Center. DTS will be sending out more information on the communication duct work next week.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director of Operations & Support Services
Building hours and access over break
Door schedules will change for the holiday break. We will adopt “administrative hours” for most of the buildings following commencement. Buildings will be open on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 21–23. Doors will then be locked for the holiday break from Dec. 24 to Jan. 3.
Faculty and staff will still be able to utilize their authorized access plans (for example, 24/7 access to their office buildings), but student plans will be shut off during this time. Regular building hours will resume at the start of January Term, Jan. 4.
Please contact Public Safety (515-271-2222) if you have a door access emergency during this time, or contact the Student Services Center (515-271-2000 or studentservices@drake.edu) if you have a general card access question or concern.
Happy Holidays!
—Submitted by Sara Heijerman, Manager, Campus Card Office
Construction Update
27th Street will stay open until construction starts on the new School of Education. 27th Street usage will change once construction starts. Please read OnCampus in late January/early February for more information regarding the usage of this street.
—Submitted by Jolene Schmidt, Director of Operations & Support Services
STEM@DRAKE construction update
Significant pre-construction activity is underway relative to the STEM@DRAKE project. At the Holiday Breakfast on Thursday, members of the campus community saw the latest building renderings and floor plans. There is excitement and appreciation for the inclusion of gender-neutral bathrooms and dedicated lactation rooms in both buildings.
Members of Drake’s Grounds Department—Aaron Harpold and Jeff Bosworth —were on hand to discuss how the project will affect trees. Attendees voted on the type of trees they would like to see planted as part of the effort to replace nearly double the number of trees that will be lost during construction. While removing trees is a difficult reality of construction, tremendous effort is being dedicated to a tree plan that will ensure both replacement and reclamation as part of the project. Watch for more details in coming weeks on this and other aspects of the STEM@DRAKE project.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer
Save the Date: STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House
Plan to attend the first STEM@DRAKE Construction Open House on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in Parents Hall South, Olmsted Center. Learn more about plans for construction of the School of Education and Math and Computer Science facility as well as the new Science Connector building. Construction team members and members of the University Steering Team will be on hand to answer questions. A brief project overview will be presented at 3:15 and 4 p.m., but you can come anytime to learn more and visit with our team.
—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer