By Meghan Hall, Associate Editor
When she returned to St. Bonaventure for her second semester of sophomore year, Allie Giammusso had a rude awakening—literally.
A resident of Francis Hall, Giammusso, a childhood studies major, said a university construction project woke her up at 6 a.m. during her first week back on campus.
Jared Smith, director of facilities for the university, said the project Giammusso has heard in her residence hall is phase one of a two-phase project. According to Smith, Francis Hall will serve as home to the university’s new School of Health Professions.
“Phase one includes construction of labs and classrooms on the ground and first floors and is expected to be complete by December of 2020,” said Smith.
St. Bonaventure hired Duggan & Duggan General Contractor, a construction company based in Allegany, to complete the renovations. Smith said the company was the low bidder for the project.
According to Tom Missel, chief communications officer at St. Bonaventure, the university has allocated 17.5 million dollars to the renovation, which the university is fundraising for as part of its comprehensive campaign, A Bolder Bonaventure. The university is now in the second year of fundraising for the campaign.
Construction teams finished asbestos abatement in Francis Hall at the end of January. The university expects the construction company to complete general demolition by the end of February.
Missel said the university’s School of Health Professions will include two new graduate programs—occupational therapy and physician assistant studies. According to Missel, the first physician assistant students will begin the program in January 2021, if the university receives accreditation for the program.
Smith said the university received noise complaints from Francis Hall residents during the early weeks of the semester.
“We… have adjusted the construction schedule to start loud work later in the mornings,” said Smith.
“I hear a lot of banging and booms that travel through the whole building. [The noise] is a little better now, but it was bad in the beginning of the semester and almost always disrupted my sleep schedule,” Giammusso said.
Smith said that although the first phase of renovations is expected to be complete by the end of the calendar year, the entire project is not expected to come to fruition until spring 2022.
Although Francis Hall will serve students going into health professions in the years to come, it currently serves as a residence hall on campus.
Smith said there are approximately 120 student rooms, all singles, inside of Francis Hall this school year.
“At this time there is no plan to decrease the number of rooms available,” Smith said.
Francis Hall also hosts a café-style dining option for students. Giammusso said the Francis Café is “definitely very popular” among students, especially those who live on the east side of campus in Francis Hall, Garden Apartments or townhouses.
Giammusso said the construction directly impacts some of the hallways on the ground floor of Francis Hall, where the café is located.
“The main hall is closed down so it is not as easy to access Francis café,” Giammusso said.
“The café will be remodeled with new furniture and layout,” Smith said.
hallml18@bonaventure.edu
