Ceremony celebrates placement of final beam
Community leaders and longtime supporters will join the Alvernia University community to celebrate the hoisting and placement of the final beam on the new Tom and Helen Flynn Recreation, Wellness and Health Sciences Complex, Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 3pm on the East Campus.
The topping off ceremony marks a construction milestone, when hundreds of students, faculty, staff and the community have signed the large beam that previously had been displayed on the campus quad for several weeks. Final signatures will be added just before the beam is hoisted into place.
“To have stood here four months ago for the historic groundbreaking for the PLEX, and return again to put the final beam into place is quite amazing,” said Thomas F. Flynn, Alvernia University president. “The project is progressing very well and on schedule,” he added.
Scheduled to open late summer 2019, the Flynn PLEX adds 100,000 square feet of academic and recreational space on 15 new acres of the campus, referred to as East Campus. Supporting a broad spectrum of healthcare and human services programs, the Flynn PLEX includes a field house for indoor track and a cadre of growing intramural programs.
“The Flynn PLEX will enhance the Alvernia experience for generations of new students, as well as for the community at large,” said Michael Fromm, chairman of Alvernia’s board of trustees and CEO of Fromm Electric Supply.
For the Reading community, the Flynn PLEX provides indoor recreation opportunities, complementing existing outdoor recreational facilities in Angelica Park and on the university’s main campus. Local high schools and clubs will be able to use the complex for track meets and other events, and visitors to the adjacent park can use restroom facilities during normal operating hours.
A longstanding tradition, the topping-off ceremony dates back to ancient Scandinavian builders who believed the ritual would calm “tree-dwelling spirits” that were displaced during construction. The celebration today is yet another milestone in Alvernia’s history.
