The new HVAC system in Woodlands has a touch-screen thermostat. (Photo/Destini Sharpe)
After a year of being closed down, Woodlands Residence Hall 4 has been renovated and is once again open to residential students.
According to Assistant Director of Residential Life, Mercy Matthews, Hall 4 was closed to allow for the replacement of the “aging” air conditioning and ventilation systems. According to Micheal Kinane, Vice President of Communications, these systems were about 20-years old.
The old air conditioning and ventilation systems were replaced by a new HVAC system which features a touch-screen interface and allows residents to manually set the temperature in their dorms. Kinane added that the renovations will allow for “better oversight and maintenance.”
The renovations, which Kinane referred to as “long overdue,” were supposed to take place sooner. However, they were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Woodlands Hall 1 is also off-limits to students this semester, but not because its HVAC system is being replaced. Last year, Hall 1 suffered several power outages, particularly in the early days of the Fall semester. This was due to issues with Hall 1’s power source, which is currently being addressed by Maintenance and Facilities staff. Kinane said the Hall was closed so that students would not have to experience power outages.
Hall 4 is not the only hall that was set to undergo renovations. In fact, Woodlands Hall 2 is currently closed and undergoing the same renovations that Hall 4 received. These renovations are part of a 5-year plan to upgrade and replace the HVAC systems in the Woodlands Residence Halls. Kinane said the plan is for all of the Woodlands Halls to receive this upgrade.
Currently, the 5-year plan only includes the HVAC system upgrades and applies to Woodlands Residence Halls 1-5.
Although the plan does not include any renovation plans for the Academic Village, which was built in the 1960s, the AV did receive quality of life upgrades. There are now lounges featuring ovens and sinks in each AV hall. Some frustrated students said the AV previously lacked the amenities required to offer the independent-suite style living advertised by the school.
The AV now also features a ‘village gym,’ which enables students who live in the AV to access exercising equipment without leaving the AV.
Both the installations of kitchenettes and the AV village gym were part of a plan announced last year by the former Director of Residential Life, Garteh Shumack.
Following last-year’s return to on-campus housing, SUNY Old Westbury seems to be pushing forward towards addressing the concerns of students by repairing electrical issues, installing kitchenettes in the AV, while also working to improve the cooling and ventilation systems in Woodlands.
