The Class of 2009 and the nearly completed Gardner Integrated Athletic Center (GIAC) won't be the only new sights to greet returning students and campus visitors this fall. Throughout the summer of 2005, Haverford's Facilities Management Department has been working to give the College a fresh appearance, both inside and out…and there's more to come.

In terms of exterior maintenance, Facilities Management (FM) has begun and will complete the landscaping around the perimeter of the GIAC and will upgrade the landscaping around the Alumni Field House prior to the opening. By removing problematic vegetation along College Avenue, FM has opened new views to the sprawling Victorian houses. Other improvement projects include: irrigating Founders Green to address heavier use and to make it more durable (it has become a“destination point” for a larger number of various campus events requiring tents and tables, according to Director of Facilities Management Ron Tola); constructing a soon-to-be-completed handicapped ramp at Barclay Hall; building an outdoor patio for the Coop, which will become an enclosed addition as part of an overall expansion/renovation of the Coop scheduled to be completed by the end of the summer of 2006; installing a new roof on a portion of Magill Library; repairing the 150-year-old chimneys in Founders; painting a number of building exteriors (Hall and Ryan, the Field House, Founders, as well as the windows at Gest, Barclay, and the Dining Center, and the trim around Gummere); and refinishing many of the exterior natural wood doors on campus.

The GIAC, under the direction of Norm Ricker, is scheduled to open Oct. 7. The GIAC's construction trailer site will be turned into a parking lot, and the South Lot will be restored to the preconstruction parking lot currently occupied by a temporary retention pond.

Building interiors have not been neglected. FM has painted and installed new carpeting in Gummere, provided new furniture for many dorm lounges, installed new fire alarm systems in the Field House, Union, HCA Building 35, and the Observatory, and mounted light sensors in 40 bathrooms throughout campus.

The Haverford College Apartments have undergone phase one of an ongoing major improvement program. Hardwood floors have been refinished and new area rugs installed in 48 units, bathrooms have received a wide variety of repairs, and the living rooms, kitchens, hallways, and stairwells all have new lighting. Building 22 boasts a new basement lounge, as well as a larger laundry room complete with Haverford Card readers for the washers and dryers. Students will enjoy the newly installed picnic tables and grills and relax on the many new entrance benches.

There are more campus-improvement projects on the horizon. In the fall, designs will begin for the reconstruction of Stokes Auditorium and rare storage area. Next summer, as mentioned before, the Coop will experience a renovation, both inside and outside. The outdoor patio will be encased in a glass, greenhouse-style wall so diners can use it regardless of season. Inside, the serving area will be expanded and upgraded and food preparation modified to accommodate more offerings. The dining area will also be cosmetically enhanced. Summer 2006 also begins the next phase of rehabilitation for HCA.

“Through the efforts of a dedicated and talented FM staff, we've established a maintenance program which not only assures the continued viability of the campus buildings for years to come, but also meets the changing needs and desires of students and faculty,” says Tola.“It's a mix of building rehabilitation and new initiatives which create points of destination on campus that are attractive and functional and encourage people not only to traverse through campus, but actually to sit and enjoy the beauty of the Haverford buildings and grounds.”