NU athletics gets a face lift

Facility Operations took advantage of the semester break to work on and complete numerous construction and maintenance projects around campus, according to a Norwich administrator.

New construction projects, such as Doyle Hall, made significant progress over the break. Other projects like Shapiro Field House and Webb Hall received needed renovations and repairs.

"When the students are not here and the faculty are not in session teaching classes, this gives the school an opportunity to do a lot of work that might be (otherwise) disruptive," said Dave Magida, Norwich's chief administrative officer. "We are quite busy when the students are not here."

Without people at Norwich for the break, the school is able to complete projects that would disturb classes or interfere with the daily schedule of teachers and students, according to Magida.

Doyle Hall, the new building that will connect Kreitzberg Arena and Andrews Hall, is continuing construction throughout the winter. The project started in the fall of 2009 and will be completed by the end of this year, according to Director of Athletics Tony Mariano.

Concrete is being poured and steel framing is being erected, Magida said. "The next step will be to work on the interior studding, the walls and the decks."

Doyle Hall will also house new offices and locker rooms, according to Mariano.

Shapiro Field House was also repaired and renovated over the course of the first semester and partly into the semester break.

"Basically, (the school has) redone the whole inside of Shapiro Field House with new insulation, new floor, and painted the walls," Mariano said. "It has really been a great upgrade of that facility."

Before renovations, the flooring was coming apart in places, the ceilings and wall needed repairs, and the bathrooms needed to be renovated, according to Magida.

"It is better to have the new floor," said Matt Hernandez, a 21-year-old junior communications major from Arlington, Texas. "It is not as rough on the feet, especially when running in there."

The Army staff are ensuring that cadets keep the field house clean by asking them to bring a second pair of shoes, according to Hernandez.

The lacrosse teams have also been utilizing the newly renovated facility.

"It's much nicer now than it was last year," said Brittney Schlauch, a 20-year-old junior communications major from Boca Raton, Fla. "It's not as stuffy in there, but I still don't like the floors."

The track inside Plumley Armory was replaced as well.

The track was in need of repairs that were long overdue, Magida said. "We put the same material (that was used in Shapiro) on the track in Plumley."

The hallways of Webb Hall have also benefited from the repairs that were made around campus.

"In the hallways we replaced the floor tiles on three floors," Magida said. "We had many broken tiles; it was also dark and dingy and we wanted to dress that up."

The Athletics Department also created a new policy pertaining to the facilities in Plumley.

"It was very difficult to know (if the right) people were in here," said Jeff Kruger, the head strength and conditioning coach. "Another major factor (in changing the policy) was the cleanliness of the facility."

(For more details on the new policy, see story on Page 6.)

The $913,000 worth of repairs and renovation comes out of the school's Annual Operating Budget and the Doyle Hall project is paid for in donations from the Capital Campaign, according to Magida.

"We have to stay current as much as we can with the upkeep of the buildings," Magida said. "We can run into huge, much larger costs to repair if we neglect it over time."

The list of repairs and renovations is reviewed by the president and trustees. They then decide on a final list of repairs to be made in the future.