Crews complete summer improvements

Hosting the annual conference of the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and demolishing an old residence hall kept Northwestern College maintenance crews busy this summer.

Northwestern was the site for the 2010 General Synod of the RCA, which was held in Orange City for the first time since 2002. More than 450 delegates attended the denomination’s annual meeting June 10–15, providing plenty of set-up and cleanup work for NWC staff.

Once Synod was over, the maintenance department turned its attention to Heemstra Hall, a 60-year-old residence for men that was closed in May. Furniture was removed and donated to Justice for All, after which VanderPol Excavating was hired to raze the building.

The hole left by Heemstra’s basement was filled by Orange City crews using dirt excavated from the site of a new residence hall. Hoogendoorn Construction in Canton, S.D., began work on the suite-style dorm in the northwest corner of campus in May. The $3.5 million, 23,000-square-foot facility will be ready for occupancy in the fall of 2011.

The college’s maintenance staff also added offices for nursing faculty to Wiersma Cottage; renovated the cafeteria serving area by taking out a wall and constructing a deli bar; installed a new water softener in Colenbrander Hall and new water heater in Stegenga Hall; and painted the interior of the DeWitt Fitness Center, all of the dorm rooms in Hospers Hall, and all of the units in one of the Bolks Apartments.

Other projects included creating a fire pit and sand volleyball court south of the Franken Center for Faith, Learning and Living and remodeling a storage area in the Learning Resource Center.