Congratulations ODU graduates!
As the school year ends and we all look forward to those lazy days of summer, the staff at Webb Center are gearing up for a ton of projects to make Webb a better place for you to hang out, eat or study. Some of these things won’t be visible, but enhance the infrastructure and efficiency of our building systems. Most significant, though boring, is replacement of the cooling tower out back. The one there was installed in 1992 and has outlived its life expectancy by 10 years! This will be done right after graduation and involves renting a temporary cooling tower that will arrive on a flatbed truck and be parked out back for the two week duration of the project.
The other infrastructure project we’re completing is a rework of all of the plumbing underneath the kitchen and back part of Webb. Patrick Sullivan and his maintenance guys are doing this work in house and will save us at least $100,000 by completing the work themselves as opposed to hiring a contractor to do it. Much of the plumbing in this part of the building is circa 1964, so you can imagine how old and crummy it is.
Now for the fun stuff! We know we suffer from too little study space in Webb. The folks at Monarch Market have agreed to downsize their operation by approximately 600 square feet so we can develop a small study lounge on that hallway. My hope is that we’ll also be able to use the space for student art shows, but I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with the Art Department. This lounge will be furnished with power built in to the seating so you can plug in and charge your phone, tablet or laptop.
Other projects include:
· Quiznos is leaving and will be replaced with a national brand sub shop. The new shop will require the old Quiznos space and the space next to it (that has been the student art gallery).·
Hampton/Newport News Room is getting a face lift: new paint, carpet, lighting, draperies and reupholstered chairs.
· Wendell Cruz is renovating the game room to include new pool tables and gaming stations.
· We are purchasing one digital, interactive directory to be installed in the center front lobby. Please send feedback on this product. If you’re happy with it we will purchase others.
· Throughout Webb you’ll see new mobile device charging stations. We are going to experiment with a couple of different products and see which you like best.
I think that will keep us pretty busy most of the summer. From all the Webb Center staff, I wish you a fun-filled, productive summer.
Sue Mitchell
Director, Webb University Center
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