As the semester draws to a close, construction will still power on with no break and high costs.
Renovations and construction took place in many locations on campus, including residence halls and other facilities.
“There’s approximately $175 million of construction under way on campus,” said Emmett David, director of facility development.
RESIDENCE HALLS
 
West Laville Hall opened this semester, providing 280 more beds for students after $14 million in construction costs, according to Steve Waller, director of Residential Life.
East Laville Hall is currently in the bidding process, and a bid of approximately $12.5 million from general contractor Frank A. Anzalone is under examination, Waller said.
“This is 30 percent below what we anticipated,” Waller said.
The residence hall is scheduled for completion in fall 2012 if everything goes according to plan, Waller said. It has already been gutted and is ready for construction.
Residential College North is also in construction and will be added to the engineering and business dorms’ community, providing 358 beds for students, Waller said.
Small projects in residence halls are also planned, such as the replacement of the air conditioning on the sixth floor of Herget Hall and the fourth floor of Miller Hall during the break, according to Waller. The roofs of Herget Hall and Grace King Hall will also be replaced.
The smaller projects range from $92,000 for the roof of Grace King to $225,000 for the roof of Herget, Waller said.
“Fifty percent of our [Residential Life] inventory is either new or renovated in the last two years,” Waller said.
Approximately $43.5 million has gone into construction in just Residential Life.
 
AROUND CAMPUS
 
Other projects on campus include a new parking garage scheduled to accept construction bids on Dec. 14, according to Emmett David, director of facility development.
The parking garage will provide space for 750 cars and house a new bookstore, David said. The project is estimated at $25.2 million, and it will be located behind the old president’s house behind Evangeline Hall.
In order to make room for the parking garage, the African American Culture Center and Helen M. Carter House, which houses the Women’s Center will be demolished. David said they will be rebuilt after the parking garage is finished.
“These two groups will go away and come back to modernized, code-compliant new facilities and increased square footage to accommodate their mission and service to campus and the community,” David said.
The two buildings are scheduled to be rebuilt in 18 to 20 months.
The current bookstore will be renovated to provide a space for Career Services, which David said is currently housed in three separate locations.
Another project under way is the new band hall. It cost $8.3 million in construction and will be 19,500 gross square feet, according to David.
Not only will the band hall provide a space for the approximately 350 band members, but “it was also designed to allow for smaller-performance recitals,” David said.
The Chopin Annex is also being worked on. Construction costs were $28.6 million, and it will consist of 88,000 gross square feet providing space for research labs with support offices and collaborative meeting places for students and faculty, David said.
The new Business Complex is also in construction, costing $40 million with 156,000 gross square feet, David said.
“The new facilities attract students and the quality of education exists [here]. Place both of these with good faculty, and this creates a stellar opportunity to attract the nation’s best and prepare them for the 21st Century,” David said.
Smaller projects through facility development include the replacement of approximately 500 seats in Coates Hall, fire alarm projects, and window replacements, David said.
The Union is near completion, David said.
 
—-
Contact Meredith Will at [email protected]