SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Renovation plans to give Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome a face lift are moving along right on schedule according to Chief Facilities Officer Pete Sala.
Sala held a press conference on Monday afternoon to give an update to how construction and renovations at the largest domed structure on a college campus in the United States are progressing. While many people are waiting for upgrades to fan experience such as improved accessibility for those with disabilities and air conditioning, Sala has just one focus at the moment.
“Really there’s not much going on inside right now,” Sala said. “Right now, the 100 percent focus is getting this roof replaced. That’s where the project is.”
The Dome’s new roof will be permanent and will replace the current air-supported design that requires constant inflation and puts the roof at risk during extreme weather conditions during the winter months. The university currently has to remove snow from the air-supported roof whenever a large storm hits to take pressure off of the surface.
“The new roof we shouldn’t have to go up there,” Sala said. “We’ve built it to sustain the 100-year snowstorm, plus. The strength of this roof is amazing. We’re really building it so we never have to go up there.”
The new roof will be supported by a cable truss system. This will ensure that the Dome does not always need to be air-locked and allow the facility to host a wider variety of events like concerts which are currently difficult to bring to the Dome because of how long doors must be left open to bring equipment inside.
Sala and his team are hopeful that they’ll be able to lower the steel portions of the roof that are currently being built by early-to-mid March before beginning the interior week needed to support the roof. The current timeline for the roof’s renovation means that all Syracuse University athletic teams will have to vacate the building by March 1 which will affect the end of both the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, the men’s and women’s lacrosse seasons and 2020 commencement.
