Lloyd Center Visitor Center Temporarily Closing as the Last Project of Transforming A Legacy Campaign Moves Past the Planning Stage!

Lloyd Center for the Environment’s Visitor Center (Exploration Center) renovations and addition, designed by studio2sustain. Click to enlarge.

The third project of Lloyd Center for the Environment’s facilities improvements gets underway September 1st! The Visitor Center (Exploration Center) will temporarily close on Thursday, August 30th for the first phase of the renovations and the addition of the main building. The driveway up to the main building will also be closed to the public, as well as a small portion of the Chaypee Woods Trail.

Designed by studio2sustain, the renovation of the Exploration Center includes a much-needed 1,600 square-foot addition which will improve exhibit, teaching, research, staff, and materials spaces. Along with the other Transforming A Legacy capital projects, the building improvements will make the quality of the facilities comparable to the excellence of the Center’s renown environmental education and research programs.

Phase One of the building’s renovations will address the existing environmental issues and repair needs. Zussy Brothers LLC will insulate the building, install new windows and a new roof, and wrap the building in aluminum siding. They will also do the foundation work for the future north, south, and east, expansions to the building.

A new public water supply well will be dug, tested, and connected. All interior work to the Exploration Center will occur during Phase Two. The administrative and research staff will be able to continue working in the main building during most of Phase One; the education staff, programs, exhibits and materials will be rehoused in the Bond House and continue as usual. The Lloyd Center is pleased to be working with Zussy Brothers who, as ship wrights, have extensive experience working with metals as well as in construction.

Simultaneously, the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School students return to the site in September to complete the innovative, 105% energy rejuvenating Welcome Center during the coming academic year. Therefore, as a result of the success of the Center’s first-ever capital campaign, two exciting projects and the involved site work will be underway within a few weeks!

The Lloyd Center’s remaining 5+ miles of walking trails, “Bridge to Discovery” dock on the Slocum River, Teaching Pavilion, vernal pools, oak-hickory forest, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh, estuary views, and home for two injured raptors (a screech owl and red-shouldered hawk), will remain open to the public during construction. As always, trails are open from dawn to dusk.

The Lloyd Center Staff and Board of Directors are excited to move on to this phase of the Transforming A Legacy Campaign, bringing the Lloyd Center one step closer to reaching its goal of continuing to offer and expand the best and most relevant environmental education and research possible in classrooms and open spaces — projects which will not only transform lives, but also the futures of our communities and our region.