It’s Campus Construction Season

JACK HASTINGS | THE SPECTRUM Churchill Residence Hall’s renovations are planned to be finished in July.

Churchill Residence Hall will receive its first renovation this summer since it was built in 1931, North Dakota State University Facilities Management Director Mike Ellingson said.

The building will be brought up to American Disability Act codes and is planned to be finished in July. The corridors will receive ventilation and cooling. Bathrooms will become more privatized.

In addition to the renovation of Churchill Hall, there are several other projects planned for campus. However, state funding limitations will make these renovations difficult.

Ellingson said the university was unsure if the state would provide any further funding for campus renovations even though the state has already allocated some money. It cannot be accessed due to a lack of an “emergency clause,” which means the money will remain untouched until July.

The push back until July for any new projects means that these projects likely won’t happen. Ellingson believes that is not enough time to complete these construction projects.

The other projects on campus include the maintenance of four small parking lots around campus. These lots include the lot next to Burgum, the lot next to the campus police and the lots outside the library and Memorial Union. The impact on students will not be significant.

Construction on another high-rise is expected to last from this summer until next fall and will be located west of Pavek and Seim. The new high-rise is expected to be the same size as the other two high-rises combined.

The new high-rise is being built in response to the large number of students that are still on a waiting list for the high-rises for the 2017-2018 school year. The new building will also help accommodate transfer students.

Statistically, living on campus leads to a higher GPA. This new high-rise is created for the large amount of sophomores and juniors who wish to live on campus in the upcoming years. Ellingson and other faculty have witnessed students transfer to other universities just to experience the luxury of living on campus. The only disruption to student life during construction will be noise around the high-rises.

University Village will also be revamped. The living complex is outdated and is a non-ADA accessible facility as of now. This will be changed.

The goal of tearing down the southwest corner of University Village is to create a new apartment complex complete with an elevator and a more secure entry. It will also receive more rooms with the renovations creating an 80-90 unit complex and additional parking.

A smaller project updating the Residence Dining Center is also underway. Thus far, construction crews have added more seating and plan to complete new food stations in different areas of the dining center to accommodate students’ dietary needs such as gluten-free, vegetarian or lactose intolerance by August.

In addition to the projects that are happening, the programming of the expansion for Sudro Hall will start this summer. Ellingson is looking at multiple proposals for the building and the construction is expected to begin by next February. The proposal is currently waiting for a signature from Governor Burgum.

 

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