BDN reports on building renovations

The Bangor Daily News published an article about work winding down on about $25 million in construction and renovation projects at the University of Maine less than two weeks ahead of the start of the fall semester. The projects include about $5.5 million in work funded through a voter-approved bond to improve outdated labs, lecture halls and heating systems, according to the article. As part of the renovations, Aubert Hall, where most students studying the sciences or engineering take chemistry courses and labs, now has six newly renovated labs, the article states. “You can’t be doing today’s science and engineering in labs that are 50 years old,” said Barbara Cole, professor and chairwoman of the UMaine Department of Chemistry. The remainder of the $5.5 million bond funding was split among renovations at Little, Boardman and Bennett halls, according to Jeffrey Aceto, assistant director of construction administration.