Track renovations at O’Brien Stadium are about four weeks behind schedule due to soil instability said a facilities planning and management official.

Stephen Shrake, associate director for design and campus projects, said the soil beneath and around the track had to be stabilized in order to adequately support the heavy machinery being used for renovations.

Tilling lines had to be made through the soil so they could better support the construction equipment, Shrake said. He said if the tilling job was not completed, the machinery would continue forming ruts in the soil and form uneven levels.

The track requires even layers of soil and rock, he said.

Though the tilling has already been completed, he said the order was not planned and will push back the completion of the track.

He said the track will likely not be finished by the first football game of the season on Aug. 31.

“What you’ll see on game day will likely be an asphalt track,” Shrake said.

After the asphalt is laid, he said it has to settle before the other layers can be place over it.

Though the track is behind, Shrake said placing the new turf on the football field is on schedule and is expected to be completed before the first game.

Other construction on campus includes developing better flood relief by the Life Science building and renovating part of Pemberton Hall.

Shrake said people using the facilities of the Life Science Building have had to deal with numerous flooding issues in the past.

He said the current work is an attempt to develop a better connection between the building’s drainage system and the nearby storm sewers.

He said the inefficient drainage system is caused by a bottleneck in the storm sewer area by the building and the current work should bypass it.

“It has had consistent flooding problems,” Shrake said. “That’s what we are trying to address.”

To complete the work, Shrake said construction workers are drilling a depth of about 4 feet by the front of the Life Science Building and in the green space north of Klehm Hall.

The renovations in Pemberton Hall are in preparation of the Honors College moving in on the second floor, Shrake said.

He said the renovations include running the campus’ chilled water loop to that part of the building to help regulate temperature, an elevator to service the honors college and residents of the hall, and developing part of the first floor into surge space that could accommodate students, faculty or administration displaced by construction and maintenance projects.

Shrake said the chilled water loop will initially provide cooling to the honors college.

Work with the loop should be completed by December or January of this year, Shrake said.

The elevator is a capitol development board project, and Shrake said there is currently not a contract in place for its development.

He said hopefully the project can be completed by the spring semester, but he cannot say for sure without a contract.

Shrake said the surge space on the first floor will likely be filled by classes that normally meet in the Physical Science Building when it is renovated in the future.

He said renovations in Pemberton will also include an electrical upgrade for the building.

Seth Schroeder can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].