Bulletin News
10/12/2009
SUNY Cortland will celebrate the completion of major renovations on one of its residential facilities, Fitzgerald Hall, with a grand reopening ceremony and open house on Thursday, Oct. 15.
The event begins at 2 p.m. in the building lobby and will feature guest speakers for the ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a reception and building tours. Director of Residence Life and Housing Ralph Carrasquillo will offer a welcome and serve as master of ceremonies. The guest speakers will include Erik J. Bitterbaum, the College president; C. Gregory Sharer, vice president for student affairs; and Robert Carr, associate facilities program manager.
The event is free and open to the public.
Located off Neubig Road on the campus, the renovated Fitzgerald Hall opened its doors with 167 rooms for students this fall, marking the first major overhaul for this four-story brick residential facility since it was built 46 years ago. The project to revamp Fitzgerald cost $5.6 million.
“Fitzgerald Hall was originally built with its entrance facing the Cortland Waterworks,” said Sarah Gingrich, the College’s assistant director for operations in residence life and housing. “So the architects for the renovation project, King & King Architects and Argus Engineers, both of Syracuse, N.Y., were asked to make the back of the building look like the front with an entrance addition.”
Fitzgerald’s new entryway features a “green roof” planted with turf to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint, Gingrich noted.
The upgraded facility is the first low-rise residence hall to receive campus heating system improvements that feature the latest in efficient building systems and controls to reduce both energy usage as well as the carbon footprint.
As with the two other student residences renovated since 2005, Fitzgerald meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver building standards from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), according to College facilities planning, design and construction officials. The building contains LEED standard features for energy efficiency, site enhancements and innovative program initiatives, along with numerous sustainable construction and design elements. The reconstruction project used wood from sustainable forests, low volatile organic chemical (VOC) products and recycled construction debris.
Andrew Mancini Contractors of Endicott, N.Y., was general contractor for the project. Finished on time, the completed project features a service elevator upgraded to be more student-friendly and restrooms on the second and third floor that are accessible to residents and guests with disabilities. More rooms are now accessible to visitors in compliance with federal regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Following asbestos abatements, the renovations included: new bathrooms with extra showers; a laundry lounge with state-of-the-art washers; a new accessible elevator; and digital connections to Internet and cable in each room as well as wireless lounges. Rooms include closets that feature organizers and furniture to maximize storage. Changes to the common areas, including a new entrance to the street and hospitality-like amenities, provide a more inviting feel to the renovated building.
The residence hall was dedicated in November 1967 in honor of 19th century Irish immigrant Lawrence J. Fitzgerald, who grew up in Skaneateles and moved to Cortland as a young man. He established a national reputation for his successful wagon-making business. For 30 years, he served as vice president of the Cortland National Bank and was a director for both the Madison Square and Columbia Banks of New York City. He took a prominent part in State Agricultural Society activities for many years. Fitzgerald, who was an important figure in the local Democratic Party, was named in 1885 by New York State Gov. David B. Hill as the state treasurer and was elected to a second term. Fitzgerald died in Auburn in 1918.
With Fitzgerald Hall’s completion, the architect has designed the next complete residence hall improvement project to begin at the end of the fall semester. Randall Hall, a 171-bed low-rise located on the same side at the lower end of Neubig Road, will reopen to students in Fall 2010. Additionally, a partial renovation to the twin campus high-rises, Casey and Smith towers, will begin in November. When completed next fall, the two lower levels of these attached buildings will house approximately 60 additional students. The basement level was recently vacated by the SUNY Cortland Child Care Center, which moved into the lower floor of the newly opened Education Building.
For more information on the reopening ceremony, contact Sarah Gingrich, assistant director for operations in the Residence Life and Housing Office at (607) 753-2094.