Monica Zielinski – Online Editor
As construction continues, and the expected completion dates approach, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, James Blake, said both projects, Buley Library and the science lab building are within budget and at the current time, he “doesn’t see any issues, or any slippage in the timeline for completion.”
Junior business major Craig Alling said the library has been under construction since before he started at Southern, but it’s coming together finally, and he said he hopes it’s done before he graduates.
Among its new features, Blake said the renovated Buley Library will have a cyber café and a 24-hour study area to “bring us into the 21st century.”
As for the cost of the building, Alling said, “It is a large project, and it’s probably going to take a large amount of funds, but I’d say it was worth it, to at least update some of the buildings and classrooms.”
According to Blake, who’s responsible for monitoring the budget and completion date, the overall Buley Library project cost approximately $90 million.
Phase one, which included the new addition, cost over $51 million, while the second phase, which funded the renovation to the original library building, cost over $39 million.
“Due to cost overruns with the original contractor, we had to stop construction for three years to secure some more funding and get it back in operation,” said Blake. “We’re excited about finishing this.”
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Over the summer, a majority of the external construction to both buildings was completed. The next step is finishing the internal work.
Associate Vice President for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations, Robert Sheeley, said most of the plumbing and piping is done. There will be a lot of cosmetic work such as putting up sheetrock, hanging light fixtures, and installing floors.
With sustainability in mind, Sheeley said both buildings have LED lighting to be “efficient with our consumption of electricity,” as well as energy management systems to control heating and cooling throughout the building.
Cost wise, these additions are more expensive, according to Blake, however, “the operating cost of the building is more efficient where you recapture some of those expenses over the life of the project,” said Blake. “It’s called the pay-back and it could be five years or ten years. If it’s something to do with the heating, the heating may be running more efficiently, therefore using less fuel and saving you money in the long-run.”
As students head back to class for the semester, Sheeley said most of the work that would affect students has already been done.
“We’ve tried to schedule as much disruptive construction items for these past summer months and we’ve been successful in doing that,” said Sheeley. “The end result is better facilities for the students, and the faculty as well, but primarily for students. We’re on the home stretch with both buildings and we’re very excited about that.”
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