Over winter break, the College installed new flooring and carpets in Smith Union, slightly altering the student union’s eclectic look and relocating the Career Exploration Department Sophomore Bootcamp to Ladd and Moulton Union. A separate reupholstering project on the bench cushions is near completion.

On the second floor of Smith Union by the Office of Student Activities, the College replaced the old green slate floor with gray luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring—matching the flooring previously installed in the C-Store. According to Director of Capital Renewal Ben Jamo, this decision was made with ease of maintenance in mind.

“The green slate was at the end of its useful life and was becoming difficult to repair,” Jamo wrote in an email to the Orient.

The carpeting by the Tech Hub on the third floor was also replaced over the break because it had become worn down from time and use.

A reupholstering project that began last semester is also wrapping up. Throughout the fall and over the break, the benches along the third floor spiral in Smith Union have gradually been outfitted with new cushions to replace ripped fabric.

Although Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze knew the project would take time due to the number of benches, the process took longer than he initially expected.

“Turnaround time for the booths took a while because of the heavy demand and limited number of upholsterers in the Midcoast area,” Hintze wrote in an email to the Orient.

The timing of the project was also impacted by back-ordered fabric and issues with the wrong fabric being shipped to campus.

Despite these setbacks, Hintze is grateful that these updates to the Union are nearly finished.

“[Smith Union] gets a ton of use and I’m always excited to see it look its best and be comfortable for students,” Hintze wrote.