The Board of Trustees approved a major renovation project, which will include replacing kitchen appliances and installing more interior lighting and a new fire-protection sprinkler system as well as performing general repairs and refurbishments, for the Charles River Apartments at the Board's Feb. 10 meeting, according to an article published the following day on the BrandeisNOW Web site. Construction on the four six-story buildings is planned to begin in late May and should be completed in time for the start of the fall 2010 semester, Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins said in an interview with the Justice. Students also toured a renovated sample apartment at an open house last week.

The project is expected to cost about $9 million, according to the BrandeisNOW article. The University recently issued $178 million in bonds, of which about $160 million will be used to refinance old bonds taken out to finance University capital projects. The remainder will be used to reimburse Brandeis for previous capital expenses, according to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Apfel. "Now we are going to take $9 million of that and we are going to use it for [the renovation of] Charles River," Apfel said. "We are going to fund it from our own money, but it's money that's being made available by the fact that we've replenished our checking account ... by virtue of the $18 million chunk of this bond issue."

Director of Community Living for Juniors and Seniors Erika Lamarre explained in an e-mail to the Justice that only about 250 of Charles River's 351 beds are currently filled. "Students have opted not to live in Charles River because it didn't seem like an attractive option to them," she wrote.

Collins and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer both shared Lamarre's opinion. Sawyer said in an interview with the Justice that renovating Charles River "doesn't change the number of beds. What it does, in our opinion, . is put Charles River back on the list of options for students when they go through room selection. ... It will become relevant again."

The BrandeisNOW article explained that the project is necessary to accommodate the growing student population and said that all of Charles River's 140 apartments will be renovated. Collins said he believed that the renovation project supports education via suitable infrastructure. "In some ways I see [the renovation] as a crucial element of our overall mission to provide housing for students," he said.

Despite all the work that will be done to the 38-year-old complex, Collins stressed that a renovated building is still not the same as a new building. "The renovation is going to be extensive, the renovation is going to be terrific, [but] it's important for people to understand that we will still periodically continue to have problems in Charles River," he said.

Feldman explained in an e-mail to the Justice that work has already begun on the renovation project. "We have just begun the Preconstruction phase of the project, during which we will be exploring options for the appliances. We are working with [Senior Director of Community Living] Jeremy Leiferman to get students' thoughts about the various alternatives," Feldman wrote.

To complete the renovation by the fall semester, Feldman wrote, "We are working with a Preconstruction Services Manager to study the requirements and schedule at the most detailed levels. The schedule will be structured to ensure that the work is complete in time for the start of the fall 2010 semester." He added, "Until the schedule is fully developed at a detailed level, it is impossible to say whether there is added cost for meeting the tight schedule."

Collins explained that the Board worked hard to approve the project in time for students to factor a newly renovated housing option into their decision of where to live for the next academic year. If the Board had waited until its next meeting to approve the project, Collins said, "Students wouldn't have known whether Charles River was going to be done or not going to be done," and would not have been able to plan accordingly.

In order to publicize the upcoming renovation to students before they choose next year's housing, the DCL held an open house event last Wednesday afternoon in a renovated model Charles River unit. The model unit, which Collins said was renovated a couple of weeks ago, is a five-bedroom apartment with a common room, kitchen and two bathrooms.

Leiferman and Lamarre were present at the open house, during which students looked around the refurbished apartment.

Darren Sandler '11, who attended the open house, thought the open house was "very nice" and appreciated the ability to give feedback but had mixed feelings about the apartment. "Obviously any improvement is better than no improvement. However, I do feel that it still has a little bit of that depressing feel to it," he said.

Lamarre wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that she felt the open house was "very successful," with a large turnout despite the rainy weather. "Students asked insightful questions, shared some great praise of the unit, and offered suggestions," she wrote.



-Nashrah Rahman, Harry Shipps and Miranda Neubauer contributed reporting.