Capital Improvement Season at St. John’s

Every summer, when St. John’s University students disperse to jobs, internships, study abroad programs, and much-needed vacations, the Queens, NY, campus’s urban oasis uniquely comes alive. During long, scorching hot days, amid the steady hum of cicadas and the joyful din of youthful campers, it resembles an active construction site as capital improvements are completed. 

This summer, most of the action is at Gate 1 on Utopia Parkway, the main artery and access point to the heart of the campus. The usual neatly laid, brick walkway is now a maze of orange cones and temporary barriers; the rhythmic clatter of jackhammers fills the air. The Department of Campus Facilities and Services refers to it as the Gate 1 Beautification Project, while others see it as “The Big Dig.” 

“We are installing a new improved drainage system at Gate 1, with new sidewalks, walkways, and pavers from the main gate to the recently installed Public Safety booth at the traffic circle,” observed Brian Baumer, Associate Vice President, Campus Facilities and Services. 

Mr. Baumer and his hardworking team oversee various capital improvement projects across the expansive campus while summertime occupants, overnight guests, and day campers go about their activities and regular University business occurs. 

“New York City is the city that never sleeps—and that also applies to St. John’s,” observed Mr. Baumer on a recent sweltering, humid day when temperatures topped out at 94 degrees and contractors braved the elements operating excavators at Gate 1. 

Another critical infrastructure project is underway on the opposite side of campus at Gate 4. An aging water line is being replaced and reconnected to the public water main that feeds the campus. A century-old network of steam pipes and storm drains, designed when the campus was a bucolic golf course, is gradually being replaced. The old pipes are prone to bursts and flooding during extreme weather events. 

“To the casual observer, you may not see the impact of these behind-the-scenes projects, but they are vital to daily living and learning on campus,” stated Joseph E. Oliva ’91CBA, ’94L, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “More than $12 million is allocated to campus capital and deferred maintenance projects this fiscal year.” 

Two examples not readily apparent to students are the newly replaced roof and parapet wall high above St. Augustine Hall (the library), and the new roof installation at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. 

After decades of patchwork repairs, the library, one of the oldest buildings on campus, had its roof stripped to the rafters. On some of the hottest summer days, roofers in bright fluorescent vests navigated through a skeleton of scaffolding as they installed fresh insulation and waterproofing membranes.

Several other campus projects underway or just completed include heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) repairs to chillers in Montgoris Dining Hall and the School of Law; facade repairs and cleaning to St. John Hall; carpet replacement in DaSilva and Hollis residence halls; and the routine purchasing of some new student furniture and mattresses in the Residence Village. 

Customary repairs and annual upgrades to exterior lighting are regularly completed. Also, anticipating greater use of the parking garage during construction of the new basketball practice facility, upgrades to the garage were made earlier in the summer.

Also in the Residence Village, vendors upgraded the busy elevator in O’Connor Hall, reducing users’ need to gamble with gravity and completed a restoration of the Alumni Stairs connecting the Residence Village to the Great Lawn.

By late August, the campus will be transformed. Students will return to smoother sidewalks, better elevators, and more comfortable, weatherproof buildings. Most of them will not notice the changes, but for the crew who spent their summer in hard hats and construction boots, it was a season of quiet triumph and continuous improvement.