Acacia - Indiana University

The Wreckage The newsletter of the Indiana Chapter of Acacia Fraternity Fall 2021 O ur Chapter house at 702 E. Third St. is continuing to receive more construction and renovation work than perhaps any time since the 1958 east wing was added. "A lot of this is a game changer for the house," House Director and general contractor Justin Fox '95 said. Game-changing isn't an exaggeration. Central HVAC and Sprinkler System The house is now 100% furnished with central air and heat. All the radiators and window air condi- tioners are gone. The boiler in the basement? Gone. "You walk through the house from the dining room to the third floor and don't immediately realize that, even in August, it's all cool everywhere," Justin commented. The space savings from pulling out the radiators isn't much on paper, but inside the rooms it's noticeable. Radiators in the Arthur D. Lautzenheiser library and formal living room have also been removed. Along with the ducting for HVAC, the sprinkler system pipes throughout the private spaces, includ- ing in the rooms, have been pushed above the ceiling and out of the way. "We learned from the Kibler work that the sprinkler heads can be pushed up and hidden with a pop- open cap that is flush with the ceiling. It's a much cleaner look and much safer," Justin explained. Updated Flooring and Cabinets Also in the game-changer bucket is new vinyl plank flooring, which is targeted for installation in all personal rooms and the cold dorm late this summer (the living room and ADL library—the old senior library—will retain their original hardwood). This will replace carpeting that often required updates every year and that didn't really suit the living spaces for a bunch of young college men, Justin says. "The vinyl planks in the halls have been terrific for cleaning and at holding up to wear," he ex- plained. "And it's going to be great expanding that everywhere else." Personal rooms will also receive new storage cabinets with crown molding. Outdoor Stone Wall Summer crews addressed a major eyesore and safety hazard by rebuilding the stone wall along Fess Avenue. A few large stone blocks had fallen onto the sidewalk, and the wall was badly leaning in some places. The rebuild included a proper drainage system behind the wall and mortar to tie the blocks together. Upcoming Projects and Plans "Coming up this winter," Justin continued, "are the bathroom renovations. I'm expecting good pricing from suppliers and subcontractors since we can offer them a lot of flexibility in scheduling their labor." Remaining projects after the bathrooms are the cosmetic updates to the formal areas on the first floor, including the dining room. "We'll start looking at those spaces once we catch our breath from the bathroom work and once we have a clearer understanding of the cash flow from the campaign," Justin said. GAME-CHANGING RENOVATIONS Recent Updates and Future Plans Kibler Room was transformed over the long winter break of 2020-21. This look and feel hints at changes coming to formal areas on the first floor. Contractors work to install new HVAC systems on the second floor. Specialized heat- ing and cooling units attach to the ceiling with ductwork spidering out into individual rooms. Central air and heat will be piped into individual rooms on the second floor via ceiling ducts. The orange pipe is a new sprinkler pipe embedded in the ceiling.

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