The College of Engineering received good news following the March 7 capital projects advisory committee (CPAC) meeting when President Leath approved our request to proceed with renovation planning and fundraising for historic Marston Hall. The university also committed dollars from central funding to help support this effort. Marston Hall is in great need of repair for the purposes of attracting and retaining current and future students and optimizing space utilization. Discussion on this project has taken place over several years.
The total project cost is estimated at $20 million and will be funded by a mix of private support, university sources and college funds. Comprehensive planning will begin immediately and construction is tentatively scheduled to start summer of 2014 and conclude in the summer of 2015. The college will make every effort to minimize the disruption of services for students, faculty and staff. Due to the significant extent of the infrastructure renovations, it is not amenable to conduct room-by-room or floor-by-floor work. The preference will be to relocate occupants during the construction period. Details have not yet been finalized regarding the move, but ample time will be given for preparation.
This is exciting news for our college and will ultimately result in many positive features in addition to improving the structure and physical components of the building. We will increase and upgrade the amount of space for classrooms and meetings; add two new elevators to enhance accessibility; reconfigure office space to make it more efficient; modernize the building with new technology; create a student welcome center; and locate all student services primarily on the first floor for easy access. Historical aspects of the building will be preserved and LEED Gold certification is anticipated.
More details will be shared in the future after a project committee is formed and specific timelines are approved. Communication will be a top priority to keep all audiences informed throughout the renovation process.