The West Virginia University Creative Arts Center will officially close Wednesday, May 22, for summer renovations that include upgrades to the Concert Theatre, Choral Recital Hall and main lobby, as well as limited asbestos abatement and installation of a new sprinkler system.
Mark Oreskovich, assistant director of the Creative Arts Center, said contractors are expected to arrive to do site preparation work on or before May 24.
“The abatement of asbestos will have the greatest initial impact on our building and how we are able to use it this summer,”he said.”After much consideration, it has been decided that we should eliminate as much activity in and around the building as possible this summer. This will allow the contractor the greatest freedom to move quickly through his portion of the project.”
During the week of May 20, College of Creative Arts administrators, summer program faculty and 12-month staff will move to the Prete Building on University Ave. for the summer. This includes the Deans Office, Student Records Office, Division of Music, Division of Art, Division of Theatre and Dance and the Band Office. The college offices will be on the second floor, in the area recently vacated by WVU Human Resources.
Oreskovich said the move involves about 30 faculty and staff and will be completed by Central Van&Storage, a private moving company. The move will probably take two to three days, but all offices will be moved by Friday, May 24.
College of Creative Arts summer classes will be held at various locations around campus. A schedule of the new meeting locations was released in April. Oreskovich said the relocation of summer classes went well”thanks to our university colleagues who assisted us in moving our classes.”
The college also announced this week that Community Music Program group classes held in the summer have been canceled, although some private lessons will continue. Students interested in private music lessons in the summer should contact the Community Music Program office for more information. Individual phone numbers may change, but the main CAC line (293-4841), fax number (293-6896) and individual e-mail addresses will remain the same.
Also, the College has canceled its Mountaineer Music Camp, an annual summer program held in July.
West Virginia Public Theater, which usually holds performances at the Creative Arts Center during the summer, has been relocated to a specially built location near the WVU Coliseum.
The Marching Band Drum Line Mini-Camp, held in June and July, has been relocated to the band practice field. Band Camp for the WVU Marching Band, held annually in August, will go on as scheduled. Oreskovich said no decision has been made about accommodation of the camp because the students normally conduct their rehearsals at the band practice field. Partial use of the Creative Arts Center may be possible depending on the status of the projects there. Band uniforms are being stored off-site.
“After faculty and staff move from the building, the contractor will seal off the entire building,”Oreskovich said.”This will allow the abatement work to progress in the most effective, safe and efficient way possible. The areas where abatement will take place are in all corridors and over selected rooms and offices where access is required for the installation of new mechanical system components.
“As you can appreciate, this is an extremely complex job, as at times we will truly be moving in three dimensions through the building while undertaking these renovations,”he said.
The College expects to be back in the Creative Arts Center by Monday, Aug. 19, which is the first day of fall classes. However, Oreskovich said they will be doing everything possible to be back in the building the week before classes begin.
After faculty and staff return to the building, contractors will continue working on completion of the corridors, including fireproofing material installation, sprinkler and fire alarm system components, emergency lighting upgrades, and other mechanical system and aesthetic improvements.
Total cost of the renovations is approximately $9 million. Funding is being provided by the College of Creative Arts, WVU , the Lyell B. Clay Foundation (Concert Theatre) and private donors, including Stuart and Stephanie Bloch (Choral Recital Hall).
* CAC Renovation Schedule
*2002
- May 20 Twelve-month staff, administrators and summer instructors move to the Prete Building
- May 22 CAC officially closes
- May 24 Contractors arrive to do site preparation work
- May 24 Asbestos abatement work begins
- May 31 Work on the Choral Recital Hall begins
- June 6 Sprinkler/fire alarm system installation begins
- Aug. 19 Faculty and staff return to the building/CAC reopens
- Aug. 30 Choral Recital Hall reopens
- Oct. 30 Substantial completion of sprinkler&fire alarm system; work continues on new air handler installations and emergency lighting system upgrades
2003
- Sept. 15 Concert Theatre reopens; renamed Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre
- Dec. 31 All life safety upgrades (first sequence) complete