Renovation plan paused

President Dorothy Leland received news Thursday that the $10 million funding proposal that would renovate the Health Science Building and Parks Hall would be delayed at least a year.

The project would have renovated both buildings, connected them and allowed handicap access, but the dollars needed to fund the project were not passed at the state level.

Members of the House and Senate Budget Conference endorsed a funding proposal that would provide planning dollars for the projects. However, no money was given to fund costs for the actual construction of the buildings included in the renovation, namely the Health Sciences Building and Parks Memorial Hall.

“We are disappointed since we completed planning on this project two years ago and construction delays increase construction costs,” Leland said. “However, we remain hopeful that construction funding will be authorized in the 2006 amended budget.”

The delay came as bad news to those in the Georgia College & State University community who were eager to see the construction completed as soon as possible, including Dean of the School of Health Sciences Jimmy Ishee. The decision to postpone the construction means that Ishee will not be around to see the completion of this project, as this is his last year at GC&SU.

Cheryl Kish, associate dean director of Nursing Programs, will replace Ishee until a new Dean of Health Sciences is selected.

The recent change in construction plans does not disappoint all GC&SU faculty. Rick Ruark, Associate Director for Planning, Construction and Business Services, remains optimistic.

“The architecture is going to reflect very well what the other buildings have,” said Ruark. “We’ve already made presentations to the Historic Preservation Commission in Atlanta. We’ve got their acceptance and we’re moving forward from there.”

When the Health Sciences Building and Parks Memorial Hall projects are complete, the campus will benefit from improved academic space, faculty office space and a renovated indoor pool. The changes will also convert the parking lot behind the two buildings into a walking plaza for students, which would make the entire compound more wheelchair accessible.

Once the state funds the project and the contractor starts, construction will probably take a year and a half.

For more information on the proposed renovation project, contact Rick Ruark at (478) 445-4467 or rick.ruark@gcsu.edu. Additional news on this and other construction projects at GC&SU can be found on the Info Page at info.gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 29 2005. 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