SUNY New Paltz holds groundbreaking ceremony for new residence hall

The State University of New York at New Paltz hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new $30.5 million residence hall on Thursday, Dec.19, at 11 a.m. on the New Paltz campus. The ceremony took place in parking lot 37A adjacent to the Athletic and Wellness Center.

President Donald P. Christian, Vice President for Student Affairs L. David Rooney, as well as President Paul Williams of DASNY, and Principal Vincent Lepera of Architecture + (Troy, N.Y.) addressed the audience during the ceremony. Assemblyman Kevin Cahill ’77 and Joann Drake, representing Senator John Bonacic’s Office, both of whom helped secure funding for the residence hall, also made remarks at the ceremony.

SUNY New Paltz currently has 45 on-campus beds per 100 students; the SUNY average is 59 beds per 100 students. The construction of the new residence hall will increase that figure to 49 beds per 100 students, still well below the average.

The 69,000-square-foot building will feature 225 beds with residential wings organized in clusters of four double beds around two private bathrooms. According to the architect, this will create a more efficient footprint for the building and will accommodate students’ requests for more privacy. In addition, the building will house a brand new cafe, a seminar room, and designated quiet study lounges and Skype rooms for students. By incorporating energy efficient and sustainable concepts into the design, the project is on track to reach Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

“This new residence hall will help bring more students closer to campus,” said Rooney. “When the new residence hall is finished, it will provide our students with a pleasing, modern, and ideal living and learning environment. I look forward to working with everyone as we move toward an August 2015 opening.”