Campus Construction Update, January 11, 2022

Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Matt Dull chats with University Communications' Dave Blanks about the construction progress for App State's New River Hall and the Child Development Center.

Transcript

Dave Blanks: Hey, folks. This is Dave Blanks from University Communications, back once again with a Campus Construction Update. And I'm joined by Matt Dull. Hey, Matt. How's it going?

Matt Dull: Hey, Dave. I'm doing well right after the break.

Dave Blanks: I know. We're fresh. We're rejuvenated. Maybe I can remember some of the names of buildings that we're building. I'm sure I can. How was your break?

Matt Dull: A great break. Great little time away. Little time away from the office and the email and the phone calls.

Dave Blanks: Saw some family, I'd imagine.

Matt Dull: Saw some family.

Dave Blanks: Ate some food.

Matt Dull: Ate some food. Yeah. So it was a good break.

Dave Blanks: Cool. Same here. Same here. I wasn't at the same place you were, but I saw my family, ate my food. But yeah, it was good. And it's good to be back. I'm interested in hearing what has happened over the break. So let's talk New River because it looks great over there. I have driven past it.

Matt Dull: Yeah. No, lots happened over the break. They did get a few days off for the holidays, but they were working through it. Great weather for most of that time, so you got to make the best out of that.

Dave Blanks: Ridiculous weather, crazy weather.

Matt Dull: Yes. Crazy weather up there.

Dave Blanks: We were hiking. I was in shorts. I was walking around. It was January. That's never happened to me before in my memory, but yeah, it probably made for very good construction conditions.

Matt Dull: Yeah. Great construction conditions. So the brick veneer on that building, we're 60% of the way complete. So really moving along there. That has really made some significant movements over the break, over the past two, three weeks or so. So that's really kind of moving forward that. We're about 60% complete there, mostly complete on that A wing of the building. That's that wing that's closest to River Street. And then that last part that we'll be really wrapping up is the wing that's closest to where Gardner and Coltrane were. And we're calling that the B wing. A lot of that exterior work is in progress, about 60% complete there. So that'll kind of continue over the next two months or so, and then that'll be kind of wrapped up. But that is moving along very fast. And the weather we had over that break and really the fall, we had such a mild fall.

Dave Blanks: It was.

Matt Dull: Had couple small winter kind of events or little cold snaps, but really great fall to kind of keep some of this stuff moving forward.

Dave Blanks: Bad news for the ski slopes though. Did you see? They've had a hard time, but finally we did get some snow a little bit before we recorded this podcast.

Matt Dull: Maybe some snow tonight.

Dave Blanks: And today, supposedly.

Matt Dull: Later this afternoon.

Dave Blanks: It's Thursday the 6th when we're talking this over. And yeah, maybe this afternoon, maybe tonight. So that's good for the slopes. Maybe not great for the construction, but a large portion of it's dried in now.

Matt Dull: Yeah. Absolutely.

Dave Blanks: Right?

Matt Dull: So yeah, we are so close in terms of the dried in. We've got all the windows in. I think there are about 17 windows that we're waiting to come in next week that are really just been a delay from materials, getting all the materials together to bring those in. So those should be in in the next week to two weeks, so that really should get all of the windows in the building. We've got plastic barrier so that things can continue to move in those kind of 17 units that don't have those windows. But for the most part, most of that's moving forward. Over the next two weeks, should have those in. And then we've had a temporary roof membrane on that building, and then the permanent roof should really start being installed next week. So insulation's supposed to come in mid next week, and then they'll start putting in that permanent roof as the weather allows over the next few weeks.

Matt Dull: So that'll really end up creating kind of the final part of that building envelope where everything's installed and then you'll have that brick veneer coming in over the next two months. So exterior of the building's looking great. We're really down to kind of the last little bit here, little detail kind of things over the next two months or so on the exterior of the building.

Dave Blanks: Sounds good.

Matt Dull: Yeah.

Dave Blanks: Well, anything else on New River that we want to cover today?

Matt Dull: Well, I don't know. You may have noticed as you're coming down Stadium, because I know you live up that direction, as you're coming down, you'll probably see that they've done a lot of work on the right hand side of Stadium Drive as you're coming down over the past few weeks.

Dave Blanks: The sidewalk. They've been really going hard at that.

Matt Dull: So took out and replaced the existing storm water line that went down all of Stadium Drive, and they're putting in back the curb and gutter and sidewalk now. So that's all getting wrapped up. They hope to have that all wrapped up by the end of this week, by Friday, the 7th of January. And then that's all kind of weather dependent here in the next day or two, but that's going to wrap up here soon. And then we'll really have that sidewalk and curb and gutter finished for use after this week.

Dave Blanks: Where else do you want to go today, Matt?

Matt Dull: Yeah. So I guess interior of the building, things are moving along pretty nicely in that A wing or A section of the building. We've got really starting in the next two weeks, I guess about two weeks from today, we'll actually start punch list on the top floor of the A wing. So we'll start going through each of the units and checking them out, making sure that, seeing what little detail things need to be addressed before students move in.

Matt Dull: So that will start in about two weeks. Doing the punch list up there for the units and the corridor should be mostly complete and should just have hopefully little touch-ups of paint or drywall or things that kind of got bumped and hit or nicked or whatever. So that'll take place in about two weeks from today, and then we'll just kind of keep moving down the building on that A section first. So we've got countertops and mirrors in the bathrooms going in. Really across the building, the sixth and fifth floor are done, fourth floor started this week. The third floor started this week, and then they'll move down to the second and first floor and terrace level here in the next week or so. So countertops, that's kind of your vanity and your sinks and your mirrors and all the things that are in the restrooms for each unit.

Matt Dull: Those are going in in that A section here in the next week to two weeks, so that really helps. That's really kind of one of the last things that happens in those bathrooms. So showers are in. Toilets are in. These vanities and sinks and all that'll go in, and then they'll do a final touch-up, final coat of paint in those once all of the fixtures get put in, because things get kind of bumped and nicked as you put this in.

Dave Blanks: It's hard to avoid that, I'm sure.

Matt Dull: Yeah. So they'll do a last, final coat of paint, and then they'll start being ready for that kind of punch list inspection. So we'll do basically probably about a floor a week or so starting on the top floor and then working the way down over the next six weeks. And then we'll jump over to the B wing and start at the top floor and work our way down the five floors over there. So about 11 weeks or so of punch ahead of the project, but that'll really get us finishing up kind of in the middle of summer. Mid-June to end of June, should be really wrapped up of the major construction happening and really just focusing on the punch list things through the summer for students to move in in August.

Dave Blanks: What are we talking about after this one's done? Right?

Matt Dull: That's a great question. I'd like to take a couple weeks off.

Dave Blanks: Right? Would you? Impossible. I'm sorry. It's not in the contract, man. Right? The fans will rebel. All the listeners, heartbroken, crestfallen.

Matt Dull: That's right. Yeah. I wonder what the next big project is.

Dave Blanks: I am sure we will have some things.

Matt Dull: You think?

Dave Blanks: Well, we still have the child development center, which is-

Matt Dull: Yeah. Child development center is ongoing. Yeah.

Dave Blanks: It's pretty big. That's a pretty big project over there. They're moving a lot of dirt.

Matt Dull: Well, have you been over there recently?

Dave Blanks: No, not in the last two weeks.

Matt Dull: There is a building over there.

Dave Blanks: That wasn't there before?

Matt Dull: Yeah. So if you remember, we are doing the child development center as a modular construction project.

Dave Blanks: Wait, is it a yurt?

Matt Dull: It kind of-

Dave Blanks: It's the structure we got. Is it sold at REI?

Matt Dull: It is not sold at REI.

Dave Blanks: Wow. There's already a structure there.

Matt Dull: So the structure in place, the foundation is in, the structure is in place. They're now doing all of the onsite type things that they need to do. So kind of connecting it to sewer, water, electrical, low voltage, so your data systems, telephone systems, putting a roof on site there. So it'll have a pitched roof to match the existing building that also has a pitched roof. So roof trusses came in over the break, so those are being installed and a new roof is going in.

Dave Blanks: You weren't even and talk about this, but you have this all off the top of your head. So knowledgeable, Matt. It's like it's your job.

Matt Dull: Yeah. All of that's going to be happening.

Dave Blanks: It's a lot.

Matt Dull: A lot's already happened. That'll continue happening through the spring semester. There's a lot of site work that has to happen as well. So there's a new playground going in there.

Dave Blanks: Water ways.

Matt Dull: Yeah. There's a new playground.

Dave Blanks: New playground?

Matt Dull: Yeah. New playground's going in over there.

Dave Blanks: What's that going to look like? Is that on the future site, appstate.edu/future?

Matt Dull: I don't know that it is on the future site.

Dave Blanks: Man, we need the playground.

Matt Dull: That's right. We've got a little connector. It's kind of an outdoor connector between the existing building and the new building. It's this kind of covered walkway.

Dave Blanks: Little breezeway.

Matt Dull: Little breezeway. Yeah. Putting that in. That's got to go in. We got new parking that's got to go in over there.

Dave Blanks: Holy mackerel.

Matt Dull: We've got a new AppalCART stop that's going in and some sidewalk.

Dave Blanks: This place?

Matt Dull: So lots going on and it's all going to happen in the next four months.

Dave Blanks: Wow. Yeah. Okay. We'll see. We'll be talking about-

Matt Dull: We'll be talking about that too.

Dave Blanks: Talking about that too, dude. Hey, Matt, thanks for your time. Is there anything else you want to say before we close her up for today?

Matt Dull: No, I think that hits the highlights for this week.

Dave Blanks: All right, my friend. Well, we'll do it again. Thank you so much.

Matt Dull: Sounds good. See you soon.