Photo by Paige Comeau ’26
A view of the geothermal project work near the Ciruti Language Center and the Mail Center.
By Paige Comeau ’26
Managing Editor of Content
Over the summer break, students may have noticed various construction sites springing up across campus as Mount Holyoke College entered phase three of its ambitious geothermal energy project. As work on this project continues into the new academic year, it may be beneficial to review the progress made over the summer term.
Phase three began on March 17, 2025, with work along Lower Lake Road to install distribution piping. Construction occurred in segments, with the first starting at the end of Park Street and ending along the north end of Talcott Greenhouse. This work was completed in early May, before graduation, and continued throughout the rest of the summer in three other areas between the greenhouse and the Community Center. Construction along other areas of Lower Lake Road, between Torrey Hall and the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center, is scheduled to continue through early January.
Site preparation for work on the club rugby field began mid-May, with drilling beginning in June. The bores drilled into the field will eventually be turned into the thermal energy storage system that the geothermal project relies upon. The drilling is expected to last into October, during which access to the rugby field will be restricted. While a general restoration of the field is planned for late 2025 or early 2026, a full restoration is expected to take place in 2027. As of right now, the club rugby team is practicing on the Mosier Elementary School pitch on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and on the field behind Creighton Hall on Wednesdays and Fridays. Rugby player Isabella Borrego ’27 encourages students interested in the sport to join the email list in case of any sudden changes.
Additional valve replacement work was spread throughout the summer months, with construction around Kendade Hall, Porter Hall, and Safford Hall being completed in August. Construction is scheduled to continue throughout the remainder of the fall semester, starting in mid-September near Skinner Green, to replace leaking gaskets on the hot water distribution lines of which will be finished by the end of October, but will remain restricted until mid-November. Similar work is also being done near Mary Wooley Circle during the same time frame.
Alongside this exterior work, four residence halls went under construction this summer: Mead Hall, Mandelle Hall, and both North and South Rockefeller Hall. Work on these four residences began in late May with updates to accessibility and infrastructure alongside conversions in the heating and cooling systems to allow for use of the geothermal energy. Some of the planned updates include a revamped Golden Pear, lounge space, and sprinkler system in Mead, window replacements in the Delles, as well as improvements to create more accessible dorm rooms, an accessible ramp, doors and patios in Rockefeller Hall.
While students are on campus, work in the basement and on the accessible ramp of Rockefeller Hall continues. Temporary laundry and trunk rooms are available on the first floor to accommodate the residents while certain areas remain inaccessible.
In Mead, construction is planned to restart during winter break, when the first floor commercial kitchen will be made into a new student lounge and the existing Golden Pear will be updated.
Students looking for more information on the geothermal project or ongoing construction can visit the Mount Holyoke College website, or go to an in-person “Thermal Thursdays” meeting on Sept. 25, held in room 118 of the Kohler Building from 9-10:30 p.m.
Karishma Ramkarran ’27 and Madeleine Diesl ’28 provided fact-checking.
