Students can expect several changes on the UW-Platteville campus when returning for the Fall 2009 semester.

In addition to the expansion of Williams Fieldhouse, there are several projects lined up for both summer and the beginning of fall, including a renovation to Boebel Hall and some reworking of the emergency alert system, among others.

Boebel Hall will be in Phase I of the renovation  when students head back to class in fall. Phase I will include converting the first floor, which is largely classroom space, to laboratory space, Campus Planner Doug Stevens said.

The $2.2 million renovation is being done to add more laboratory space, as well as provide updated equipment for the older labs, Stevens said.

Another project that should be in place over the summer is one that students won’t see, but are likely to hear. Stevens said that the emergency alert system will be extended this summer to allow voice-message capabilities in Doudna Hall, Russell Hall, the Children’s Center and the Pioneer Student Center. Voice messaging will allow emergency announcements to be made in real time over the PA systems in those buildings, as opposed to the pre-recorded messages that play in them now.

Other projects that will begin this summer include: Designing for Phase II of the Williams Fieldhouse addition, an auxillary services storage and workshop space, several mechanical upgrades at the central heating plant and master planning at Pioneer Farm.

The master planning at Pioneer Farm will involve bringing a consultant in to look at the farm and help find ways to make it more efficient, Stevens said. Areas of the farm they are looking more heavily into include the beef center as well as the dairy center.

“We want to look at what we can do to adaptively reuse [the dairy center],” Stevens said.

Stevens also said the road construction on Hickory and Pine streets would be finished, and there would now be a sidewalk on College Drive.

The road is heavily trafficked, both by vehicles and by pedestrians. It currently does not have a sidewalk on either side for much of the street.

“As a campus, we’re doing quite well in our projects and our growth initiatives,” Stevens said.