On Tuesday, April 16, a town hall meeting about the Parenzo Hall renovation project was held in Scanlon Banquet Hall. Representatives from the Massachusetts Division of Capital and Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), key members of the President’s Cabinet, chairs of the four working groups (comprised of faculty, staff, and administators) established for this project, and representatives from both the space utilization vendor Dober Lidsky Mathey Planners (DLM) and the recently contracted architecture firm Miller Dyer Spears (MDS) attended to provide a collective project update.
As part of DLM’s presentation, George Mathey mentioned that there is a shortfall of 15,818 assignable square footage based on the needs for the renovated building. He explained that it will need to be determined how that shortfall is handled—by reducing units in Parenzo Hall or by reassigning units to other buildings. Also, Mathey relayed that the Parenzo Hall Gym will continue to be utilized as gymnasium space and that the academic departments of Political Science and Education and student support services will remain in Parenzo Hall. The building’s other departmental inhabitants are yet to be determined.
Vice President for Administration and Finance and Parenzo Working Group member Stephen Taksar mentioned that available residential space is being looked at as an option to host the 15,818 square feet of needed space. Currently, the University is at approximately 82 percent of its total residential occupancy.
DCAMM Project Manager Mila Mendoza provided an overview of the remaining project timetable. Highlights include:
- The Utilization Study phase will be completed in May 2019;
- The Study/Schematic Design phase will now begin, last for 10 months and conclude in January 2020;
- The Design phase will last from February to November 2020; and
- The 30-month Construction phase is slated from September 2020 to December 2022.
For more information on the information covered at the April 16 Town Meeting, visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/parenzorenovation and look for the Town Hall meeting slideshow under “Resources” at the bottom of the page.