Renovation projects for Commons are well on their way, according to Michael Williams, Director of Facilities. Williams said that the changes currently in progress include the “completion of demolition [of Commons] and piping in the basement level.” Denying the rumor that construction will finish earlier than expected, Williams said that renovations are right on schedule. Commons renovations are scheduled for completion in March 2009 after 15 months of construction. When Commons reopens it will be named for David Paresky ’56. The Board of Trustees decided to rename Commons for Paresky after his 2004 $10 million unrestricted gift was applied to the renovations. Although the outward appearance of Commons will not change much with the renovations, Commons will undergo extensive renovations inside. The building will feature a renovated kitchen setup, with the former Lower Left dining hall becoming a café-type serving area. The new Commons will also be LEED-certified, meaning that the building uses resources more efficiently. Williams said, “The project is going well.” But students also said that the construction site noise is occasionally bothersome. “The noise is kind of distracting sometimes, but it’s worth it,” said Kayla Rosario ’11. Oriekose Idah ’11 said, “I don’t think that [the noise] is that big of a deal. I think they need to work as much as they do in order to get the job done.” “It’s not too bad. The only time it’s sort of bad is on the weekends,” said Cristina Mommsen ’09, who lives in Day Hall. “I was expecting it to be a lot louder, but it’s a lot better than I thought it would be,” she added. Kyle Ofori ’09 said that the noise is loud in the mornings, but that he doesn’t mind. “It doesn’t really wake you up. I’m usually awake by that time. We don’t complain,” he said.
