Despite a few surprises in the earlier stages of construction, the Duncan-Dunn and Community Hall Renovation and Addition project is progressing on schedule.

The two residence halls were both constructed in the 1920s. Due to the time of construction, some of the framing and materials needed to be replaced or modified, project manager Louise Sweeney said.

"We got into the demolition and found items we needed to take care of," she said. "Both (residence halls)  are framed differently. Duncan-Dunn has a concrete floor while Community has wood."

In addition to fixing the frames and flooring, the construction team had to remove asbestos and perform a seismic upgrade, Sweeney said.

"It definitely took a hit on the budget," she said. "Hopefully all the surprises are out of the way."

As of now, the team is focusing on getting the buildings ready for winter so they can work on the interior during the colder months, Sweeney said.

"Basically, we're tightening up the exterior for winter so we can put in some temporary heating and begin finishing," she said. "We're about 90 percent complete (on the exterior). We've started the electrical and plumbing."

This phase started on the third floor of Duncan-Dunn and progressed down. At this point, Sweeney said they are starting to put things back into the halls.

The construction is scheduled to be completed on July 1. After construction is completed, work will continue to make sure the facility is ready for students at the beginning of the fall 2012 semester. The halls are being combined to form one new facility, she said.

"We're basically joining them at the hip," Sweeney said. "We've already built the east connector. Students can see what the connector looks like from B Street. It shows what we're doing. The courtyard will be enclosed in the center after we build the other connector."

According to the project's website, the $24.6 million facility will house about 250 students.

Earlier in the semester, there were a few cases of vandalism on the construction site. However, Sweeney said those incidents have not continued.

"It's been pretty much taken care of with a little tighter security and more patrols by the police," she said.

In addition to the Duncan-Dunn and Community renovations, there will be a new 300-bed residence hall on the north side of campus, Housing Director Bob Tattershall said.

"We're temporarily calling it Northside," he said. "It will be built between Streit-Perham and Regents."

The Board of Regents approved the schematic design on Nov. 18. Full construction of Northside is scheduled to begin on May 7, 2012. It's expected to be open by fall 2013.