Important Update On The Neilson Library Project, April 3, 2020

Dear students, staff and faculty:

We write to you today with an important update on the Neilson Library project.

In order to support worksite health and safety, we are discontinuing all construction sitework for the Neilson Library project, including Neilson Library and Alumnae Gym. Beginning today, the only workers on site will be those engaged in the orderly, temporary shut down of the project. We made this decision in consultation with our construction site manager, who has partnered with us since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak to adapt construction to meet the needs of employees’ wellbeing.

Sitework has been entirely voluntary up to this point and fully permitted under the state’s essential activity guidance - but we feel that, given Governor Charlie Baker’s recent update on the likely surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the coming weeks, it is crucial that we go above and beyond state recommendations and discontinue all construction activity.

While we have set a preliminary construction restart date of May 4, 2020, we will assess conditions at that time and recognize that there is a significant chance that we will need to extend the site’s closure. We have begun working on contingency timeline planning for the project’s completion, but do not yet have an adjusted opening date based on the uncertainty of COVID-19’s impact.

We will continue to share news and updates as our planning adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sincerely,

David DeSwert
Vice President for Finance and Administration

Jim Gray
Associate Vice President for Facilities & Operations