The renovation of Johnson Hall, continued work on the football stadium and lots of fix-up jobs on the schedule for Tennessee Tech this summer.
Tech Associate Vice President of Facilities Dan Warren said the foundation has been laid for the stadium’s west side and soon, steel could start being installed. Warren said the changes are good for both the fan experience and program recruiting.
“We’re about to experience something we haven’t experienced in 60 years, which is a brand new, state of the art football stadium with all the modern conveniences and aesthetics that you would expect from a D-1 college” Warren said. “So it’s going to be a major upgrade.”
Warren said the complete renovation of Johnson Hall beginning. Warren said every non-load bearing wall will be removed, and updates will be made to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
Warren said some staircases in Johnson Hall will need to be added for safety reasons. Warren said modern building code requires stairwells have access to the exterior of a building, so new stairwells will be added to the front and back of the building.
Warren said several buildings on campus will get needed work this summer.
“[The Library] is actually getting a lot of attention this year due to the fact that the paver pathway promenade that we now have on campus is right at its front door, so we’re doing what we can to dress it up,” Warren said. “That includes painting it, we’ve pressure washed it, we’re replacing some windows on it as well.”
Warren said maintenance continues on campus roads, and the lack of students makes projects like sidewalk installation and re-striping easier.
Warren said he hopes upgrades to the fire panel, which allows communication to all campus buildings at once, will be done by the end of the summer. Wilson said updates to HVAC controls upgrades will help with better troubleshooting and pave the way for an automated system.
Warren said the dorms are occupied by campers all summer, so they need frequent cleaning.
“Every probably three to five days, new camps come in,” Warren said. “Between each of those, our custodial service provider goes in and has to clean each of the rooms that have been occupied.”
Warren said the dorm buildings are deep cleaned at the beginning of the summer, and they are inspected again before students arrive in the fall.
