Per usual, renovations have swept across Youngstown State University’s campus during the summer months.
“This is probably the most we’ve had going on across campus, construction-wise,” Richard White, director of planning and construction at YSU, said.
These projects include finishing the renovations in DeBartolo Hall by replacing tiling in the floors, painting doors and refurbishing the lounges; redesigning the main entryway to Beeghly Center; making the Chestnut Room in Kilcawley Center more visually appealing with new red curtains and other upgrades; and rebuilding the stairway between the Center for Student Progress and Kilcawley Center.
There have also been campus-wide maintenance projects: updating elevators, repairing roofs and reinstalling exterior lighting. In addition to maintenance and updates, the new Veterans Resource Center was completed this summer.
John Hyden, the executive director of university facilities, said many of the updates will go visually unnoticed, while still improving campus life.
“Many roofing projects took place this summer, and even though you don’t see it, you can certainly appreciate it when not getting a drop on your head in class,” he said.
The exterior lighting around campus has also been improved. Hyden said the main reason for this update was to “enhance reliability and reduce energy.”
“The associate wiring of the old lighting needed replaced, so we did that and we went ahead and put LED lighting in. You shouldn’t see any courtyard lights out,” he said.
Another renovation was the update of various elevators.
“The elevators were modernized, even though the previous elevators met codes and passed inspections. With the new technology out there, it was nice to update them,” White said.
Supplementing these necessary renovations, there were some more aesthetically oriented construction projects.
During the summer, DeBartolo Hall’s carpet, tiling, painting and offices were fully renovated, along with the student lounges.
“Aesthetic renovations were done to DeBartolo Hall and Beeghly Center to enhance looks, feel and functionality,” Hyden said. “It looks really nice for the general public.”
Tayah Turocy, a freshman at YSU, discussed her outlook on the changes made to the Beeghly Center.
“I like how bright it is and the natural lighting in the windows of various rooms,” she said. “The decorations and layouts are very appealing.”
Megan Jones, another YSU freshman, has already noticed a difference during the short time she has been here.
“I feel like when I first came to campus I felt the industrial, old type of campus, but as I’ve walked around I’ve seen the beauty that can be found here,” she said.