Bobcat Village to be ready for next semester

Pack your bags, people!

With completion of Bobcat Village just three short months away, students living in The Ramada will soon be packing and moving to West Campus.

“The biggest challenge has been working in callaboration with Ambling, who are the developers to insure that the projects will be completed in time for us to occupy beginning on Jan. 2,” said Paul Jahr, assistant vice president for student affairs. “With construction there are a lot of opportunities for situations that you don’t count on; right now the clubhouse is probably 95 percent complete. Building 300, (there are three separate buildings) is the furthest along and is probably 80 percent, and the other two are close.”

The $58 million project is to build new student housing on the main campus and at West Campus and to renovate Sanford Hall. This phase, which is now three months away from being completed, will result in suite style housing on the main campus and apartments on West Campus.

“The Folks that I have had the opportunity to visit with and the men and women living out there, can’t wait to get out of The Ramada, which has a lot of advantages to it, but after two and a half months also has disadvantages. I can understand that,” said Jahr. “Students are excited that this thing is actually going to happen.”

On Oct. 16 residents at The Ramada, will have their first chance to choose their apartment and roommate, when Jahr meets with everyone at The Ramada and explains the progress that Ambling is making on West Campus.

“There is a certain degree of skepticism, or there was at any rate last spring on the part of the students and justifiably so. Students have told us that they had the story before and is it really going to happen, but baring any major problem here or a force 5 hurricane hitting the southeast and taking all the supplies or materials that are necessary to complete the project, it should be done,” said Jahr.

Beginning in November, Georgia College & State University will be taking applicants from students off campus to move to Bobcat Village. The Village will be able to hold 354 beds, and roughly 189 students are moving into the new apartments. To be able to live in Bobcat Village there are a few requirements that must be met. Students must have already completed 24 academic hours or be at least 21.

“We’ve got space for more students,” said Jahr. “We don’t want new students; we don’t want freshmen in this lifestyle. That’s because the lifestyle has more freedoms and responsibilities, that turn into a discussion of a freshman residence.”

The buzz around the campus and the construction site is exciting.

“We had students from The Ramada come in and we’ve shown them actual floor plans to the apartments. Folks are generally excited,” said Jahr. “If students have not had the opportunity to go to West Campus and observe from this side of the construction zone, not the actual construction zone, people will be excited.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 11 2002. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry