BRAC

September 2018 Webster Center Re-Opening

Construction Spring 2017–Fall 2019

The Babson Recreation and Athletics Complex (BRAC) project will provide renovations to the existing Webster Center and a new state-of-the-art multipurpose facility for a wide range of uses to benefit the entire Babson community. There will be a large new recreation center which will enhance opportunities for recreational, club and intramural sports as well as provide a space for large scale campus-wide events. The BRAC project also includes a large new fitness-recreation space and multipurpose rooms for recreation and a range of other uses. For varsity athletics, the project includes dedicated team rooms for each varsity sport, an improved sports medicine area and improved administrative spaces to support athletics.

The Webster Center is expected to remain open as usual, with the exception of summer 2018 when the building (except Staake Gymnasium) will be closed for renovations. Please note that beginning August 2017, 22 parking spaces in the Webster lot will be blocked off to assist with construction logistics.

Private support for Babson’s investment in the Babson Recreation & Athletics Complex will make this project truly transformative. For more information on how you can be a part of this extraordinary opportunity, please email Diana Zais, Vice President of Development, or call 781-239-3879.

For more information and important announcements regarding the projects, you can email Kate Dulmaine, Capital Project Manager, or call 781-239-5869.

Community Communications

September 2018

• Renovations to the Webster Center locker rooms and the Staake lobby are mostly complete with many renovated spaces ready for use this year, though based on the construction phasing plan some spaces will be temporary locations until September 2019.
• When the Webster Center reopens on Tuesday September 4th, recreational locker rooms with showers and day use lockers for the full community will be located adjacent to the Staake lobby
• Within the next few weeks, recreational locker rooms will be relocated once more within the Webster Center where they will remain until September 2019 when new recreational locker rooms will open in the new building.
• Cardio and weight equipment is located similarly to last year at the Track Mezzanine and in Lunder Fitness. A large, two-story recreation fitness area is part of the new building when it opens in September 2019.
• One racquetball court and one squash court will be available for use when the building reopens on Tuesday with one additional squash court anticipated to be available by mid-September.

August 2018

Summer renovations of the existing Webster Center are being completed and reopened for student athletes for the start of the new year. There is a temporary athletic training and sports medicine location next to the equipment room on the lower level, and locker rooms off the swimming pool are completing for faculty, staff and student usage

May 2018

Major renovations to the existing Webster Center will be completed in the short window of time between commencement and when student athletes return to campus in mid-August. As a result, all of the Webster Center with the exception of staff offices will be offline for the summer. The construction schedule has been planned strategically in an effort to minimize disruption to Webster Center operations during the academic year. Closing the facility in summer 2017 regrettably is unavoidable, but the upside is that the campus community will enjoy a larger and demonstrably better facility by fall of 2019.

The summer construction schedule has been planned to maintain the pedestrian cut-through access between the upper and lower lobbies in Webster. Please note that some construction activities may require intermittent closure of this pedestrian route through the building. Whenever closure is necessary, the facilities team will provide advance notice via a campus-wide construction update.

As the construction team prepares for its summer work, you will notice selective work beginning in certain areas of the building during the first week of May. This preparatory work should not impact general fitness locations or operations. Signage will be up to direct you if specific areas are off limits.

Please note that locker rooms will be renovated over the summer. In order to allow the construction team to maximize the summer window for construction, we will need to have all lockers cleared out before the building shuts down. As such, the last day to use Webster Center locker rooms and the pool will be May 12, 2018. The last day to use fitness facilities in Webster will be Friday, May 18, 2018.

March 2018

The newly constructed tennis courts behind Van Winkle are complete and ready for competition. Athletic teams will start competition at the end of March on the courts. Demolition of Peavy Hall has been completed and concrete foundation for the new addition will continue through the month of March. After the concrete foundation is complete, steel framing will commence in March as the overall shape of the facility becomes more clearly visible. Steel construction is scheduled to be competed by mid-May and will include a topping off ceremony once the final piece of steel is lifted into place.

Renovations to the existing Webster Center will begin after commencement in May and include updates to the locker rooms and Staake lobby. As a result, much of the Webster Center will be off-line for the summer.

December 2017

As scheduled, the demolition of Peavey Hall has started and is expected to be completed before the end of December. This work will require intermittent stopping of traffic along College Drive at the BRAC construction site to allow trucks to safely exit from the site.

In addition, new, permanent street lighting along College Drive at the Knight Parking Lot will be installed, and the Webster Parking Lot has been closed, with visitors needing to park at parking deck and follow the construction detour signage to access the building.

August 2017

A new, improved music system, new rubber flooring with an area of synthetic turf, new mirrors, and fresh coat of paint have been completed in the Lunder Fitness Center. All new Sorinex strength racks have been installed.

Athletic Department office renovations are being completed to be ready for the start of the academic year.

New tennis courts behind Van Winkle Hall are under construction. Pouring of the concrete for the tennis courts is currently underway, to be followed soon by lighting and seating installation. The new courts will provide a first-rate surface experience for our varsity teams, recreational athletes, and summer programs. The courts will be enhanced with court-side bleacher seating as well as additional seating areas in an elevated area outside the fence. Hours of use will be extended with the addition of lighting on all courts. We expect to have the new courts functional and available for community use by spring 2018.

Construction fence will be installed in the upcoming weeks. The sidewalk on College Drive will be fenced off and pedestrians will need to use the sidewalk on the Malloy Hall side of College Drive. Also, the crosswalk and walking paths from the Babson College Executive Conference Center garage will shift to make way for the construction site. Signage will be posted to direct walking traffic. Pedestrian access through the Webster Center from the Webster Parking Lot and from the Horn Library side of the building will be maintained throughout the coming academic year, though parking in the Webster Center lot will be reduced by 22 spaces throughout construction.

The main parking lot next to the existing tennis court will have reduced parking spaces, as the construction fencing is installed.

July 2017

New flooring and strength machines will be installed in the Lunder Fitness Center. Free weight training will not be available during this time, but Life Fitness machines will be positioned near squash courts during this period for those interested.

June 2017

With main office suite renovations starting in June, Athletics staff will be displaced to temporary office spaces in the Reynolds Center, the Babson Skating Center and various Webster Center locations. Extension 4250 will remain the main connect number throughout. Athletics staff is anticipated to return to the main office suite area in early August