June 3, 2025
Inner Quad Access
From June 3 through August 24, the Inner Quad is not available as a shortcut to the King-Scales dining room as it is an active construction site. Be mindful of the signage and barriers restricting pedestrian access for your own safety. Please use Paradise Road or Kensington Ave to move between the buildings. A larger version of the below map is attached to this email. Pedestrian walkways are noted with a green dotted line.
Central District Drilling Activity
From June 5-20, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (except Sundays), drilling for the campus Geothermal project will occur on Tyler lawn and create intermittent, potentially distracting ‘hammering’ noise in the immediate area. The crew will drive 12 sections of 30-inch-diameter steel pipe (casing) into the ground over the two-week duration. Please see the graphic below for approximate sound levels relative to one’s proximity to Tyler Lawn.
Mitigation measures have been implemented to minimize noise pollution since the last version of this notification was shared on May 28, resulting in lower expected decibel levels than previously shared. Sound barrier panels are currently being installed on Tyler Lawn. The precise timing and duration of the noise are difficult to predict, as they depend on the soil and rock conditions.
- There will be 12 periods of hammering, each followed by less noisy periods of welding and general construction activities.
- Each hammering period will last approximately 1 to 4 hours, depending on the soil and rock encountered.
- Each welding / general construction period will last approximately 5 hours.
Learn more about the geothermal energy project and subscribe for construction updates at https://smithgeoenergy.info/. Please direct questions or comments to geoenergy@smith.edu.
