Each year, the day after May commencement, Joseph Paternoster and a team of IP&O employees from different departments, as well as hired contractors, have 13 weeks to tackle housing-related projects that must be complete before the students return to campus. How does Paternoster prioritize such a demanding schedule?
“Every project is important,” Paternoster, Sr. Facilities Project Manager, said. “There are about 13 weeks from graduation to early arrivals. Every project whether a roof, lounge, or dorm rooms needs to be complete before the students return.”
Typically Paternoster has to complete about eight or ten housing projects in this time frame. This year was “light” with five housing projects plus a few other non-housing types he receives. “All of this is based on funding. Some of our larger complexes are completed in phases. We try to take bites out of these projects each summer.” Richardson dorms, for example, are in the fourth phase of renovations, which included adding eight American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant units on the first floor in one of the buildings.
Summer 2024 projects included renovation of 24 units on the 11th floor of University Center. An interior renovation of the Voorhees dorm on Cook Campus included new dorm room flooring, painting, and lighting throughout the building. Gibbons A and B lounges had an old metal roof removed and a new metal roofing system added to replace it. The Thomas suites building on Busch was also re-roofed this summer. Not all of Paternoster’s projects are dorms. There was also a sports lighting upgrade project at university park on Busch, for example.
Paternoster emphasized that none of this is possible on such a tight schedule without the cooperation of his colleagues in other IP&O units. “Everyone involved receives my construction projects’ calendar so that they are aware of the projects and meetings to be held within the given timeframe,” he said. “I get support from REHS (Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety), the PD+D (Planning, Development, and Design) group, Scott Luthman and his code officials, and Steve Dubiago and his crew. Our Area Managers on every campus are great. Sometimes unexpected utility issues arise and Ted Elonis has to send a crew. IAMs (Identity and Access Management) may need to get involved for locks. I rely on all of these different people and entities.”
Unforeseen problems and supply chain issues can cause delays, but with a tight deadline, delays must be overcome with work arounds and more hours put in, if necessary, to finish a project on time. REHS, for example, may have to handle anticipated or, at times, unexpected asbestos abatement issues; this requires work to stop until the abatement is complete. While supply chain issues have improved since COVID, there are still some issues that also cause delays among some product deliverables.
Now that the students have returned, and the previous summer’s projects are done, Paternoster immediately starts getting quotes for projects which he hopes to complete next summer. “We look at the budget through the fall months and identify projects. December through January we work on design with hired consultants along with Planning, Development, and Design. In February we start getting bids and usually have a contractor on board by the end of March,” Paternoster explained.
One upcoming project currently under design is Nichols housing. The building has been empty for six years and is on a nine month schedule for completion with a tentative fall 2025 opening. The exterior renovations will give the structures a more modern look. The interior renovations will be extensive, but with housing needs on the rise, this building will be crucial to have back on line.
Featured in the IP&O Newsletter, September 2024.
