The future of Birch Hall

BSU is planning to renovate Birch Hall in 2011

By Caley Jorgensen

Story #5

November 1, 2010

Word Count: 863



Birch Hall is popular for its proximity to the academic
buildings, shown in the background. Photo by Caley Jorgensen.



      Students will be able to sit in Birch Hall’s new lounges facing Diamond Point Park. They will be able to enjoy the newly installed elevator. They will enjoy more private bathrooms. The renovation of Birch Hall will begin in May 2011, transforming Bemidji State’s oldest resident hall into a 21^st century dwelling for students.



    Built in the 1950’s, Birch Hall stands as the smallest hall with 177 residents and the closest to the academic buildings. “Some of the mechanical and electrical systems are beginning the fail in the building,” said Dale Ladig, director of Residential Life. “The facility needs to be renovated.”

   The renovation will begin next summer. “We will start with the abatement of asbestos and any hazardous waste and then we’ll start the demolition process and construction,” said Ladig. The $8 million project is expected to be done in twelve months. Since the windows and roof are still in good shape, the building will still stand, unlike Maple Hall. “Maple is slated to be demolished,” Ladig explained. “We’re setting aside money until we get enough to demolish it.” Until then, Maple will be opened up and used as a transition space as Birch is being worked on



Birch Hall is the oldest and smallest resident
hall on campus.Photo by Caley Jorgensen.



    Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing being will be revitalized, and walls will be refurbished by installing new walls or receiving wall treatments. A modern look is the goal and it will be similar to Linden’s look, but without suites. Other areas being looked at include bathrooms. “We’re working for a privatized look to the bathrooms, so that individuals will have a separate room to shower and use the sink,” said Ladig. “There will be sinks in the central area as well, allowing a far more open look.”



   Lounges will be created on the second and third floors, allowing students to hang out in a common area and be able to access both wings, which are currently not connected. These lounges will have as much glass installed as possible to take advantage of the view of Diamond Point Park. The lounge on the first floor will be improved by making it more modern and creating a bigger office area as well.



In the northeast corner of Birch Hall, new lounges will be built.
Where A and B wing meet, shown above, the lounges will look out
at Diamond Point Park and allow students to access both
wings from the second and third floors. Photo by Caley Jorgensen.



   Other amenities that will be available for students include more electrical outlets in each room, adequate connectivity for cell phone reception and wireless connection, and an elevator. To get an idea of what students want, students helped by giving their input. “We’ve been meeting with focus groups,” said Ladig. Focus groups are meetings open for all students to gather and talk about issues on campus.

   Every aspect of the residence hall is being considered for renovation, even the simple areas. “There are two things that are still up in the air,” Ladig said. “Do students want doors on their closets? Would they be happy with just a hanging curtain or if it was open?” He talked about flooring as well, whether it should be carpeted or linoleum. Students can help with making these decisions at the focus groups.

    Since BSU has been focusing on becoming more green, the new ideas for Birch will incorporate being environmentally friendly. “One of the biggest energy drains here is controlling the heat by opening up windows, and we don’t want to do that,” said Ladig. “We want to accommodate better temperature control.” One way to do this, is considering air conditioning in the common areas, allowing students to open and close their doors. Since the amount of time of students needing air conditioning is pretty minimal, it’s still under deliberation.



Items, such as the Birch's fireplace, will be
kept to keep the resident hall have a more
personal and homey feel to it. Photo by
Caley Jorgensen.



   The Open Borders Learning Community is a program located in Birch. Students from around the world live here for the academic year and share culture and interests with other students. To make sure OBLC is still available, it will be moved to Tamarack as Birch is being worked on. Once the renovation is complete, the OBLC may not return back to Birch.



   Open Borders Coordinator and Residence Hall Director Ayleen Leonhardt is considering options for the future of OBLC. “We are looking at possible floor options that could enhance the Open Borders experience,” said Leonhardt. “However, we have many buildings with different positives and we will be looking to the current members and activities of the program to help us determine where they will be housed in the future.”

    One factor that is going to be a problem for students will be the tunnels underneath Birch. The basement of Birch is going to be reconstructed. With the tunnels going through that area, students will not be able to pass through and will need to walk outside, including the winter months. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with that yet, but it certainly will be interrupted,” said Ladig.

  As meetings are being held and pre-designs being created to get ideas and budgets estimates, Birch is ready to be revamped and restored for many students to come. If the updated Birch Hall will be completed in the stated time period, it will be ready for students to move in for the fall semester in 2012.