Wayne Allen
PDT Staff Writer
Work is expected to begin later this week on the renovation of the administration building on the campus of Shawnee State University. The work is expected to take about five months to complete and the final product will see an addition of an office and classroom space.
“The building was originally constructed in 1982 and is in need of interior renovation as well as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades to meet our new energy conservation standards,” said Butch Kotcamp, Director of Facilities, Planning and Construction for SSU.
He said the renovation will be to 12,000 square feet of the first floor of the administration building. The work also calls for the installation of a new HVAC system for the building.
“The office spaces will be renovated to house administrative office suites and faculty offices to support our growth. A new mathematics laboratory will be included in this renovated space,” Kotcamp said.
He said the prime contractors on the project include, Trace Creek Construction, Inc., Hatzel Buehler, Inc. and B.B. & E., Inc.
“The project will transform the space previously occupied by the Department of Social Sciences and the TRIO Center into new departmental and faculty offices for Math and the University College and administrative offices,” said Dr. Rita Rice Morris, President of SSU in a released statement. “The project is funded with State Capital funds that are uniquely committed to this project. Funds came after a period of diminishing, and then finally no capital funds for higher education.”
In February of 2012 the state controlling board released $81,588 to help SSU with this project. The total project is estimated cost nearly $1 million.
“Continued maintenance of our facilities and buildings are priorities for us as we continue to grow,” Morris said. “The administration building is one of our original buildings and is in need of several upgrades. We have deferred work on this building to address other university priorities and it’s time for us to focus on necessary renovations that will help us operate the facility more efficiently.”
Kotcamp said some of the advantages of the renovated space will include bringing the entire Mathematics Department faculty and University College Developmental faculty together in one area. The new mathematics lab will be in close proximity to all faculty for tutoring and other forms of assistance. The University College faculty and Dean are currently spread across campus and will now be in the same area.”
Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 228, or tallen@civitasmedia.com.
Growth again, they can't shake that term, even after telling us via PDT's of their decreasing enrollments, and the State's orders to graduate students in a half dozen years when it should be 2 and 4 instead of 12 to 16 years or more?
Expanding on-campus on a declining budget and still expanding out into the CBD, Central Business District per Mr Messerly' public direction as published by the PDT's.
Is that office for the new executive asst. to the President hired for this redirection of the SSSU Ship of State by the State of Ohio? That's a scoop PDT's but instead you list the contractors without the facts if they are local or not leaving your readers to chase those rabbits.
And the funding, a left over pot of gold on a project that should have been done years ago?
Now the Math Dept. will have more convenient and better staff meetings. They want 3rd. St. to walk further, but the new improvements so the math dept. does not have to walk further, Heh?
And the Beat goes on with the Scioto County SE Ohio "fiscal cliffs." How far in the tank will they have to be for them to be more better efficient and effective with OUR public funding's not unlike the City and County Governments??