“We are hopeful that we will be able to begin physically moving people in to Kreger in early August, so that the faculty and staff will be in there when classes resume,” said Cody Powell, the associate vice president of facility planning and operations.
Construction began last year, with the overall idea being to move physics out of Culler because that aging facility needed renovations itself.
“The engineering department had previously been in Kreger, and when a new facility was built for them, it vacated Kreger, and Culler is in significant need. It’s one of our older buildings that needs renovation. To renovate a building with a department in it makes it very challenging, and it’s not very cost-effective, so Kreger was opened up for space,” Powell said.
That dovetailed with with the state’s commitment to advancing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs, with the state kicking in the majority of the costs.
At the same time, the new Armstrong Student Center was being built. Phase two of that project involves Culler, which is adjacent to Armstrong, becoming part of the student center. In the meantime, Culler is housing the geography and geology departments while Shideler Hall is being renovated.
“If the planning and the gift funding occurs as we would like, and the geology and geography department are able to move back into a renovated Shideler Hall, then Culler will be freed up for the piece of the Armstrong Student Center,” Powell said. The bulk of the Kreger project is being paid for by the state, with a local share of about $600,000.
When the students return, the new Western residence halls will be complete. The major construction ongoing is five east quad residence halls and a dining facility, at a cost of about $93 million. Shideler’s construction will start around the end of 2014. Most of its $22 million cost is also being paid for by the state.
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