Campus Improvements to Greet Students

This summer, the Colby-Sawyer campus is humming with construction projects in addition to the usual updates. The largest of these projects are repaving The Loop in front of Colgate Hall, completing the Center for Art + Design, and developing a cross country trail in Kelsey Forest.

Thanks to a generous donation, The Loop is undergoing a six-week rejuvenation that began right after Commencement and will be completed in late June. Andrews Construction is overseeing the work, which entails digging down 18 inches to install a new base and 14 four-inch PVC conduits for future use; widening the roadway; and adding elevation to create a plateau even with the walkway in front of Colgate’s main entrance. Granite curbing will line both sides of the drive and protect the lawn from damage.

The Center for Art + Design will be finished in July and open for classes and exhibitions this fall. The building will include studios for painting, ceramics, sculpture and graphic design. A black box theater will offer a new performance venue, and an art and sculpture yard looking toward Mount Kearsarge will extend the space outdoors. The secure, climate-controlled Davidow Gallery will host art shows starting in October with “Inner Visions: Selections from the Collection of Beverly Stearns Bernson ’55.” The exhibition will feature some of the most highly regarded outsider artists in the world, including Martin Ramirez, Bill Traylor and Nellie Mae Rowe.

Construction on an eight-foot wide cross country trail has begun in Kelsey Forest, which someday will enable Colby-Sawyer to host home meets.

“We have a vision for a cross country running trail in Kelsey Forest and a donor to support that vision. The trail concept was part of the student-designed Forest Management Plan submitted to the college last year, and it is exciting to see elements of the plan come to fruition,” said Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies Leon-C Malan. “We’ve begun the project and hope to complete it as resources remain available.”

The trail, a 5k course for women and an 8k for men accomplished through a series of loops, will feature wooden bridges and gravel where necessary to create a smooth trail through the woods. Periodic inspections will ensure the trail's condition and quality.

Along with these projects, select classrooms in Colgate Hall will be renovated, and the second-floor hallway is slated to receive fresh carpeting and paint. New air conditioning units for the main server room in the Susan Colgate Cleveland Library were installed in May.