SUNY Oswego has experienced “tremendous delays” in getting the materials and building supplies needed to continue and complete construction projects on campus. 

Having multiple projects occur at the same time has caused some minor issues because they were not meant to happen at the same time, according to Mitch Fields, SUNY Oswego’s associate vice president for Facilities Services.

“Originally it wasn’t scheduled to be all at once,” Fields said. “What we’re seeing is projects that should have gone forward and were delayed by COVID … at the same time as projects that were expected to be in this time.”

Sheldon Hall’s renovations were approved to begin two years ago, but the pandemic halted all construction activity until a few months ago. 

“There was no activity for 18 months,” Fields said. “That project should have been done by now.”

The construction on Sheldon is focused on fixing a technical flaw that is causing the terracotta tiles that are on the outside of the building to pop off. The issue was first addressed in 2011 but has persisted over the years since. To take on the $18 million project, SUNY Oswego brought in the “finest preservation architects” to reassess the problem and return the building to its original state. 

There is also consideration, according to Fields, for a renovation of the east wing of the building. This section was previously dormitories, which were never meant to be permanent. Fields said they will need to identify what will be hosted in the east wing before any construction plans can begin, and that it will need “a lot of development.”

Alongside Sheldon, the initial renovations of Littlepage are set to be completed by the end of this semester. Currently, work is being done on the roof, which is what caused the dining section of the building to be closed this semester. After its completion, construction will continue, but not necessarily on Littlepage. 

“There is an honest discussion going on about whether it would be Pathfinder or Littlepage,” Fields said. “There are people studying this and once they get more information we will have a better idea of what building will get the rehab.”

Fields also said Littlepage Dining Hall’s closure was decided before they knew about the size of the incoming freshman class. SUNY Oswego welcomed more than 2,400 students to campus at the start of the semester, but Fields said they were “pleased to have that problem.”

“When the decision was made, we thought we would have less students on campus,” Fields said. “But it’s very difficult to stop a project [funded] from the state … [and] it’s not a good idea to stop it after the state has given you the money because you have no guarantee you will get it back.”

Because of this, the decision was made to go ahead with the construction plan followed by reassessments after the fall when the project was done. 

Funding for construction can come from different sources, according to Fields, including grants, aid from New York State and revenue from dorm fees from students. 

Currently, the convergence of the residence hall, campus wide energy and academic facility master plans are being discussed so all future projects can be organized in the most efficient and economical way possible. 

 The “campus wide residence hall master plan” that will address west campus and give a plan on how to renovate all of the buildings over time, with Seneca Hall next on the list. 

New renovations cannot commence until the current projects are completed, according to Fields. Similar to Seneca, there are plans for Mahar Hall, but they will not begin until after Hewitt Hall is finished. 

Due to delays, there is no definite end date for the completion of Hewitt, as the bid for the second phase of renovations is not set for approval until Oct. 2. 

“Until they award the contract, there is no responsible party to have this discussion with,” Fields said. He continued by saying that he believes Hewitt will be entirely finished by January 2024, with some spaces open for use by fall 2023. 

Currently, Hewitt does not have any windows and has part of its roof missing as workers prepare for the delivery of a skylight and new glass.

“[Hewitt] will be closed and in the dry before the weather changes,” Fields said. “It will be done before the next semester starts … I would expect it before November.”

SUNY Oswego is “still finding our way out of the pandemic,” Fields said. The schedule for each building project is always changing due to challenges in the supply chain. 

Despite reoccurring delays, construction on Sheldon, Littlepage and Hewitt will continue throughout the semester with hopes to be completed at the earliest date possible. 

Photo via Abigail Connolly