Summer projects on campus

As the academic year winds down, several major renovation and construction projects are gearing up. These projects will temporarily impact daily life and activities on campus, but will all be worth it in the end!

Seiberling Gymnasium

The bleachers in Seiberling Gymnasium are 28 years old and the gym floor is original to the facility, which opened in 1952. While both have been well-maintained, they must now be replaced. Seiberling will be closed for about three months, beginning Monday, April 10 and will reopen by July 4.
 
Beyond bleacher and floor replacement, other improvements such as window blackout, new carpeting and padding on the walls, installaltion of curtains to protect the bleachers, new volleyball standards, and an upgraded HVAC system and lighting controls will take place. These smaller-scale projects will be scheduled for completion throughout the summer and fall months.
 
Contingency plans are in place for several major events while Seiberling is closed:

• The Student Awards Assembly Friday, April 28, at 4 p.m. will be held in Wickham Great Hall.
• The back-up location for Commencement on Sunday, May 14, at 10 a.m. is Tiffin Columbian High School gymnasium, should the weather preclude us from celebrating at Hoernemann Stadium.
• The Alumni Weekend luncheon on Saturday, June 17, will be moved to the Campus Center lawn with a weather contingency location at the Columbian High School gymnasium.

Hoernemann Refectory

Our new food service vendor, Parkhurst Dining, and their design team have been working on the first phase of a two-phase renovation and addition to Hoernemann Refectory. Parkhurst’s pledge to utilize local vendors whenever possible for its farm-to-table approach to fresh food service also aligns with their commitment to work with local contractors on the renovation, including general contractor JDH Construction.
 
Hoernemann will close the day after Commencement, on Monday, May 15. The first phase of interior renovations will be completed during May-August before our fall semester begins. Parkhurst will be serving food at various campus locations throughout the summer. Plans for the second phase include exterior building renovation, and this will occur next summer.  We will keep you updated as they are finalized. When the overall project is complete in 2018, Hoernemann Refectory will be a key piece to the convergence of new and renovated facilities at Greenfield and Rebecca streets that creates a unique dynamism on our campus.  It will be an exciting and inviting gathering place for our entire campus community.

Rebecca Street Bridge

Construction on the complete replacement of the Rebecca Street Bridge, known to all as T-Bridge, will begin soon after Commencement.  This is a City of Tiffin-funded project, and we expect it to be substantially finished by the beginning of the Fall Semester.  The new bridge structure and the connecting sidewalks will be slightly wider and align with the style of other bridges in the city. The lower campus parking lots will still be accessible from Greenfield Street during the bridge replacement.  Our T-Bridge will become more spectacular! 

Sarah Street Project

This long-awaited project has been deferred again, and will not commence until the spring/summer of 2018 at the earliest.  The City of Tiffin has earnestly tried to move this project forward, to no avail, and the window for the bidding process has closed for this year.  We will continue to work with the city, as they continue to work with CSX, to bring this project to fruition.

Market Street “Streetscape”

East Market Street will be enhanced and beautified from Jefferson Street to Circular Street in spring/summer of 2018 as well.  The improvements will include new sidewalks, brick pavers, street lamps, benches and parking.  This key initiative is another City of Tiffin project to connect the Historic Downtown to our campus.