Northern Essex Begins $15 Million Building Renovation

Architect’s renderings of planned improvements at the Spurk Building.

Note: An earlier version of the story misreported the cost of renovations. The estimated price tag is $15 million.

A year-long, $15 million project to renovate the Spurk classroom building at Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill campus is underway.

Renovation of the 50-year-old building includes renovated restrooms, new windows, central air conditioning, improved handicapped accessibility, stairwell improvements and overhauling Lecture Hall A and the Hawrylciw Theater. To accommodate classes while the building is closed, the college will use eight classrooms on the lower floor of Opportunity Works, located adjacent to the campus; add seven new classrooms in the B and E buildings and two classrooms in the library and student center; and move English as a Second Language (ESL) and most criminal justice classes and human services and deaf studies courses to Lawrence.

“We will enhance our shuttle service in the fall to help students, faculty and staff get where they need to go, and we will have more people around to answer questions,” William Heineman, vice president of academic and student affairs, told college trustees in June.

Heineman said 65 percent of students take classes in one of the building’s 33 classrooms. The building also houses the tutoring center and 54 faculty offices.

The Spurk building is expected to reopen during June, 2017.