Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Binghamton U Puts Most Construction on Hold During Virus Closures

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 05/19/20

Directions issued by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in late March suspended all non-essential construction activity in New York, leaving universities and colleges scrambling to put construction projects on hold in a manner that would allow them to pick up the work when closures have been lifted. At Binghamton University, part of the State University of New York system, that affected numerous building sites.

One of the largest projects, an addition to the Hinman Dining Hall, needed to have utility tie-ins done for safe shutdown, after almost all of the utilities — telecom, electrical, water and sewer — were relocated.

A chiller project underway in a science building had to continue long enough to ensure the appropriate building systems were in place to protect the buildings with HVAC.

Work was simply stopped in other projects, including a renovation to the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences; upgrades to the Engineering Building; interior work for another science building; and renovation of a residence hall.

"This suspension obviously affects project schedules and completion dates, but it is too soon to gauge the impact," a missive from Physical Facilities stated.

The same statement said that some construction work would continue. That encompasses projects designated as "critical infrastructure," including work at hospitals or healthcare facilities, affordable housing and homeless shelters.

SUNY issued contractor guidance for its construction jobsites, which offered a number of recommendations for workers, including having fellow workers informed when employees are confirmed to have COVID-19, performing "social distancing" on the job site, encouraging "hand hygiene," staggering work schedules to minimize how many people are at a job site at any one time and avoiding "cleaning techniques, such as pressurized air or water sprays that may result in generation of bioaerosols."

New York state has suffered the greatest number of COVID-19 cases (90,020 as of May 18, 2020) and deaths (28,339) of any state in the country.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • Wenger Names New Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts, Controls

    Wenger Corporation, which provides products and solutions for music and theater education, performing arts and athletic storage, recently announced the hiring of a new Vice President of Sales for Performing Arts and Controls.

  • Esports are Growing in Popularity

    Video games and esports are a popular social hobby, and it’s one that’s accessible to a wide variety of physical ability levels. Some esport student-athletes have started to earn scholarship opportunities, and high schools are beginning to form teams equipped with the same degree of resources as their physical sports teams. However, the two have very different needs.

  • Michigan District Breaks Ground on Sheridan Road School

    The Lansing School District in Lansing, Mich., recently broke ground on the new Sheridan Road School, according to a district news release. The school will measure 61,525 square feet and serve students in grades 5–8.