Ben Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center
February 22, 2007
After years of planning, the Ben Pomeroy Student Alumni Learning Center is about to open. The renovated dairy barn will include one large and one smaller classroom, two seminar rooms, a student lounge, administrative offices, and a commons area with a food service facility. Academic and Student Affairs and D.V.M./M.P.H. program staff Larry Bjorklund, Peg DiMatteo, Kate Hanson, Lynne Lura, Larissa Minicucci, Laura Molgaard, Karen Nelson, and Kate Worley will be moving to the Pomeroy Center on Thursday, March 1.
The Pomeroy Center is a public facility open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed evenings and weekends unless special arrangements are made for events. Food services in the Hay Loft (first-floor commons area) are scheduled to begin on March 19. University Dining Services will be providing soups, salads, sandwiches, and a variety of hot and cold beverages. Initial serving hours will be 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but the hours may be adjusted depending on demand.
No pets allowed
Because the building contains food service, University, state, and federal food safety regulations must be followed. These regulations prohibit animals from the facility with the exception of patrol dogs, service dogs, and pre-approved teaching animals in the classroom upstairs. The CVM Pet Policy has been revised to add the Pomeroy Center to the list of areas where animals are not allowed.
A grand opening event will be planned for later this spring.
January 11, 2007
Veterinary students gathered for a photo in front of the building on January 11.
December 29, 2006
The Pomeroy Center is nearing substantial completion. The contractor plans to be 98 percent completed by Feb. 15, with an anticipated move-in date of March 1. Final interior finishing work will be done in January, as will audiovisual and telecommunications wiring. Furniture is scheduled for installation by Feb 15, with final building systems testing slated for the last two weeks of February.
November 6, 2006
The Student Council recently collected suggestions for names for the cafeteria to be located in the new Ben Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center. The winning name, The Hay Loft, was suggested by both Michelle Verant and Katie Ziebarth. Meanwhile, progress continues daily on the building and surrounding grounds. Curbing was recently installed, the parking area was blacktopped, and the cupola was refurbished.
October 11, 2006
This week, a silo was constructed just east of the Ben Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center. What's its purpose?
Facilities manager Ed Kosciolek explains that the silo serves a functional role -- just not in the traditional way. The silo encloses major air distribution systems for the Pomeroy building. The original design had placed these systems within the building "footprint," where they took up about 500 square feet of valuable space. So the design team looked into options for relocating the equipment elsewhere.
"One idea was to build a silo and place the mechanical equipment in it," Ed says. "After all, a silo was attached to the original dairy barn, pretty much where the new silo is placed. So, we are adding to the scope of the renovation by replacing the silo."
October 5, 2006
Work continues on schedule. Much of the exterior work will be finished within the next three weeks. The Veterinary Medical Center parking lot adjacent to the project will be closed during the period of Oct. 9-20 to make final steam utility connections and finish silo construction. During this time, VMC clients will be directed to the Gortner Ramp. Our goal is to enclose the building by the end of October so interior work can be completed during the colder weather season. Our target remains to complete construction by February 2007.
September 14, 2006
Construction continues on schedule. Most major underground utility work is finished within the building's interior, and concrete footings are nearly complete for the new silo. Upcoming activities will include additional brickwork repair as well as removing the existing roofing system and replacing it with a new roof deck and new shingles. There will be some additional excavation of the Veterinary Medical Center parking area later this month in order to tie in existing steam and plumbing services to the Pomeroy Center's infrastructure. The goal is for construction to be substantially complete by February 2007.
July 24, 2006
Construction activities will become more noticeable this week, as crews begin excavating a portion of the Veterinary Medical Center's parking lot in order to make connections to underground utility supply mains. Exterior brickwork will also begin, which includes paint removal and mortar joint repair (called tuckpointing). Existing windows will be removed, and overall activity will be much more visible.
May 4, 2006
We received the following artist's renderings of the classroom, hallway, and Java City from Miller Dunwiddie Architecture. Exciting! The Ben Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center is becoming a reality!
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The classroom |
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Hallway |
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Java City |
March 27, 2006
Contractors started work, removing accumulated debris and beginning demolition.
March 9, 2006
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved the College's proposal to name the building the Ben Pomeroy Student-Alumni Learning Center in honor of veterinarian and University of Minnesota Professor Emeritus Ben Pomeroy.
Meanwhile, the project team continues to work toward completing the final design. Determining the best location for the building's air handler created a few challenges due to code and safety issues. The most recent feasible option places it in a below-grade vault which will be located outdoors along the south side of the building. This location minimizes disruption to the interior space and still provides proper ventilation. Its "footprint" will require some reworking of the landscape plan for the large green space. From ground level, the unit will be only minimally noticeable.
Construction crews will begin work in early April. They will be placing some equipment and staging certain activities in the green space between the Veterinary Medical Center and the Animal Science Veterinary Medicine building. Due to this staging and for safety's sake, the green space will be partially cordoned off from regular activities. Everyone is urged to observe all cautionary and advisory signage once it is posted. Several client parking spaces located next to the Dairy Barn will be closed due to these construction activities.
January 30, 2006
Progress on the dairy barn renovation project continues. Some highlights:
- McGough Construction was awarded the contract to develop a "guaranteed maximum price" for the project and act as general contractor. McGough is in the process of reviewing all design documents, engineering reports, and other relvant materials to ascertain the maximum price for the renovation. They are working within an established budget figure, and their goal is to assure maximum value for the University--the best possible renovation project for the most favorable construction price.
- The architect, Miller Dunwiddie and Associates (MDA), is finalizing the design of the mechanical and life-safety systems. Final code review will be done in February.
- MDA presented several interior design schemes to the College for review. Most interior finishes and materials are selected and are presented on a palette board available for inspection in the dean's office.
- Based upon the project scope, delivery of materials, and other variables, the schedule reflects a move-in date of Jan 15, 2007.
December 19, 2005
Last week, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents reviewed and accepted the schematic design for the dairy barn project. (The Regents had previously approved the project in conceptual and budgetary terms.) By agreeing to the schematic deign, the Regents approved the proposed floor plan and specific uses of the space. Now, the design team will move forward to finalize a more detailed plan and develop a "guaranteed maximum price" (GMP), says CVM facilities manager Ed Kosciolek. The GMP becomes a contractual obligation for the general contractor, so the University is assured that the price remains within scope and on budget.
The architects have also been meeting with University of Minnesota code officials to resolve some basic structural and utility connection issues. Resolving these code issues is important because they establish the framework for all the mechanical, electrical, and other code-specific components that will be incorporated into the final design.
November 21, 2005
Based on the recommendations of the College's dairy barn steering committee, Miller Dunwiddie Architecture, the project's architect, has prepared schematic layouts for the dairy barn site and first and second floors. The documents will be presented to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents for review and approval at their meeting on December 8-9, 2005.
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