This summer, the facilities team worked hard to complete renovations made to Fieldston’s campus. While most already know about the remodeling of the beloved Tate Library, due to finish next fall, returning students will find that many other areas of the campus have undergone a makeover.
To accompany the arrival of the new security company, Summit Security, the security booth has also moved locations. The administration driveway (the driveway in front of the arch) has been remodeled to allow a better placement of the booth. Yellow and white lines, as well as a low railing to direct cars, have been added to the new driveway.
The security booth, previously located at the top of the driveway near the arts building, is now moving to a downhill location.
“The purpose of the re-configuration was to provide enhanced coverage of campus entrances by our security staff,” said Chief Operating Officer Kyle Wilkie-Glass. “The creation of a traffic circle with a security booth will provide those entering campus with a more direct opportunity to check-in with a security officer, ask questions, or be directed to one of the other entrances to campus.”
English teachers can look forward to slightly bigger offices this year. Project Coordinator Ivan Lovjer says the offices have undergone “a complete renovation” –– an expansion of 230 square feet. A wall that created a previously unused crawl space was knocked down to create more space for the offices. Lovjer said that the crawl space was filled with items from decades ago, but in 2011, students discovered the hidden nook, and left a note that read: “Aune advisory, class of ’11 was here.” The students also signed their names on a wooden beam. Aune advisory, you may be gone from Fieldston’s campus, but you won’t be forgotten.
The long awaited Tate Library renovation is now underway. The building is surrounded by green fences and vast scaffolding, and will be inaccessible to students for the entire school year. Currently, the interior of the library is demolished and only bare concrete remains. The majority of the books are now housed in the Stu-Fac, Fieldston’s original library.
Other minor improvements have been made to upgrade heavily used items around the school. These projects include, “reinforcing and replacing a lot of the rigging in the theater spaces, replacing over 300 bleacher seats in the gym, and repairing sections of the old slate roofs that have started to show signs of weathering,” Lovjer said.
The renovations to the gym and the addition of improved scoreboards will enhance the experience of athletes, coaches and PE students alike. “We are super excited about the new gym renovations,” Athletic Director Gus Ornstein said. “The new designs have totally enhanced the overall look and feel in our athletic department.”
Next summer, students can look out for the renovation of the exterior staircase leading from the track to the JV gym. “The stairs have been in desperate need of an overhaul, and need to be brought to modern day standards for accessibility,” Lovjer said. “This summer we did a lot of work to the plumbing that would be affected by the project, and we replaced most of the doors along that staircase.” In the summer of 2018, the majority of the upgrades will be complete.
