(Photo: Martin Stadium field stripped and awaiting new surface.)
If you had any illusions of a nice, quiet summer on campus, think again. It might not be evident yet, but WSU will see a variety of construction projects this summer, not only on the Pullman campus but at Tri-Cities, Vancouver, Spokane, Mount Vernon and Prosser.
Pullman:
• The Washington Building (old hospital) phase II renovation will conclude this summer. Hoffman Construction is completing work to accommodate departments temporarily relocating from the CUB and those permanently relocating, which include Naval ROTC and the Health and Wellness Programs formerly housed in the Ad Annex.
• Work will start this month on WSU’s Life Sciences Building, the second in the planned seven-building Research and Education Complex. With $10M appropriated in the 2006 state supplemental budget, Lydig Construction will begin activities to relocate the existing site amenities (tennis courts), clear the site, dig the foundation and install structural piles, pile caps and perimeter footings. Scheduled for completion in September, the site will be secured and maintained through the winter. When additional funds are received for the 2007-09 biennium, work on the building will commence.
• Existing tennis courts will close after the high school tournament May 12-13. Alternate courts at Pullman High School and Hollingberry Fieldhouse will be used until new courts are constructed. Located on North Fairway Road across from the Student Recreation Center, the 12 new courts will be built on the site of the existing golf course driving range and will include tournament-level lighting and an acrylic playing surface. The new courts are scheduled to be complete mid-September. There is also a project planned to refurbish and refloor Hollingberry Fieldhouse for indoor tennis.
• Renovation of two B Street houses recently purchased by WSU will be bid in early May. These houses will be upgraded and enhanced for occupancy by multicultural groups.
• Renovation of the Rotunda Dining Hall is scheduled to re-bid early in July with a contract awarded early in August and construction starting shortly thereafter. The revised schedule for re-opening is fall 2007.
• Potential relocation of the teaching greenhouses between Lighty Student Services and the Lewis Alumni Centre is planned to begin mid to late summer. This project will begin with demolition of the existing structures and include construction of replacement greenhouses near Ferdinand’s.
• Construction activities for the CUB, which officially closed May 8, will commence May 15 when Hoffman Construction begins demolition. The two-year project will completely renovate the building. The building shell and exterior facades will be largely retained, but all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, conveyance, glazing and finish systems will be replaced. New elements include a north stair and elevator tower with an associated pedestrian bridge and relocation of the student bookstore (Bookie) into the CUB.
Hoffman, general contractor/construction manager for the project, has mobilized for the project by setting up an office in the vacated portion of the Public Safety Building across from the CUB. The $86M renovation of the largest building on campus is scheduled for completion in August 2008. Wilson Road will be closed to public traffic for the duration of the renovation.
• Final demolition of the old incinerator on Airport Road will occur this summer. Bids were opened on May 4 for a 45-day hazardous materials abatement period, after which the building will be removed (late summer). Once the building is gone, the site will be hydro-seeded and prepared for growing native dryland grasses.
• The process has begun to select a contractor for phases I and II of the Martin Stadium renovation. Renovations in these phases will include: improvements to spectator circulation; seating for those with disabilities; restrooms on the south side; construction of a main-entry façade along Stadium Way on the east side; a new concourse with support service, restrooms and concessions; infrastructure to allow expansion of a new seating grandstand and concourse on the east side; and enlarging the existing north concourse to include additional restrooms and concessions.
Work beginning this summer will be the addition of handrails on the south side of the stadium.
• Golf course activity will begin with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for June 9. Almost immediately, the contractor will begin moving dirt. A companion project to the golf course will be the entry road and parking lot project undertaken by Motley-Motley, Inc. This project will consist of a curving road, storm-water system and gravel lot.
• Also under construction by Motley-Motley, Inc. will be enhancement of a parking lot on North Fairway Drive, funded by Parking Services.
• Projects scheduled for the summer by Facilities Operations include:
* Wood lab parking lot
* Demolition of house at 420 Colorado
* Sanitary sewer upgrade from Colorado to Lake streets
* Resurface the athletic field
* Patch and seal Thatuna, Veterans Way, Campus Avenue and Library Road
* Steam tunnel renovation at Kimbrough Hall
* Crack sealing on Idaho and Nevada streets, McCoy driveway and Quad Services Road
* Resurface Olympia/Nevada Street to Forrest Way
Regional campuses:
• Construction of the Vancouver Student Services Building is under way. The 18,000-sq.-foot building is scheduled for completion early in 2007.
• In Tri-Cities, the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory is beginning construction this month. Jointly funded by WSU and PNNL, the building should be available for occupancy in the summer of 2007.
• In Spokane, construction will slow as the Academic Center Building nears completion. The building will be available for occupancy early in August.
Research stations:
• Construction continues on the Agricultural Research and Technology Building in Mount Vernon. Scheduled for completion in August, the building should be available for occupancy in September.
• Anticipated to bid mid-summer is the Center for Precision Agricultural Systems building in Prosser. Construction activity may begin in early August.
Experienced construction-watchers will not be surprised to know that as soon as the dust settles on these projects, more will take their place. Preparation of WSU’s 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan will occur this summer, listing renovation, preservation and new construction projects that extend 20 years or more into the future. Staying on top of existing and changing program needs as well as maintaining a 100-year old campus means WSU will be working on construction and renovation for many summers to come.
