Caution: construction ahead…again.

With construction of the Wegman School of Nursing nearly completed, College President  Donald Bain already has plans for a new building project to start just after exams.

The building will be two stories and just under 5000 sq. ft.  The addition will be located where there is an existing concrete slab between Pioch and Basil Halls, behind the Basil secretaries’ office.

This addition will have a new entrance and will provide access to Basil on the first and second levels and to Pioch on the first floor. The main hallway in front of the secretaries’ office will continue to exist but there will be a new one that allows the flow of interior traffic between the buildings. Not all of Basil will be completely reconfigured, although there will be areas in the back of Basil that will change, such as the faculty and secretaries’ offices.

“We are very pleased that we’re able to put this addition on Basil,” Bain said. “The building will have faculty offices, a seminar room and I am very hopeful about putting a Macintosh computer lab in as part of the renovation of that area, which I think will meet student needs very handsomely.”

During the 1930’s, one of the pioneers of radio was a man named William Fay, who helped to found one of the radio stations in Rochester. About a year ago, Fay’s daughter Julie began discussing with Bain a way that her father’s contributions to broadcasting in the Rochester area could be recognized. These discussions resulted in an idea to put on the addition on Basil.

The new building will be home to a display area near the entrance to the building that will house artifacts from Mr. Fay’s career, including photographs and objects that were used in his career in radio broadcast during the early years in Rochester.

At the time of discussions, Ms. Fay was not well and passed away. However, as part of her estate, she gave the College sufficient funds to complete the project. The addition is tentatively named the William Fay Media Arts Center.

“This is a great opportunity,” Joe Burkart, special project manager for Fisher, said. “I think as the overall campus plan comes together, this addition will really strengthen the backside of the campus. When building, we’ve never really committed to a true faculty office space. To an extent, it has been incorporated into the Pharmacy building and the School of Education, but some additional office space is well needed.”

Unlike other projects that have been undertaken on the Fisher campus, the construction of the addition will not impact students’ movement on campus. Fisher’s administration plans to have construction finished before students return for classes in the fall.

“We are hoping to begin construction right around May 5 or 6,” Burkart said. “If all goes according to plan, it would be complete prior to the Fall 2007 semester. There isn’t the component of classrooms, but we would like to complete all of the faculty relocations by the time fall classes begin.

“There may be portions of time during certain phases when the road behind Basil is reduced to one lane for access in and out. There will also be some impact when work starts inside Basil, and we’re connecting to utilities, electric, or fire alarms, but that work will occur over the summer, and there should be no impact to students during the following fall semester.”

Although it is a quick construction project, Bain is hopeful that the presence of the new building, and the services it will allow to be offered will help to enhance the academic experience of every Fisher student.

“This addition will substantially contribute to the structure that we are able to provide for students,” Bain said. “This will be a more organized and focused area for faculty to meet with students and advise them. It is a great addition to our academic infrastructure, and the project reflects a mission of going forward that the college is committed to.”