Mississippi State University’s construction workers have been working on several projects: Lee Hall, the expansion of the football stadium and a parking garage.
Lee Hall and Davis Wade stadium are scheduled to be finished in 2014. The parking garage will not be completed until 2015.
Aiken Village, on-campus apartment style housing, will also possibly be renovated in the near future.
Dan Whatley, construction administrator, said in an email that these projects are making progress, despite weather setbacks.
“Progress is going well. The wet weather we experienced over the winter had the capability to cripple the schedules of the projects, but the teams worked through the issues and managed to minimize the delays to their schedules,” Whatley said.
One of the major on-campus renovations is Lee Hall.
Lee Hall has been under construction since fall 2012 and is expected to be finished and ready for use by the spring semester of 2014.
Whatley said the building is being historically renovated.
“Lee Hall has been partially renovated several times in the past but never had a full historic restoration,” he said. “This project is addressing the entire building and restoring it to its historic state.”
Another project that is also expected to be finished in 2014 is the expansion of Davis-Wade stadium.
The stadium will re-open for the fall 2014 football season and will provide increased seating opportunities for fans.
Whatley said he thinks stadium expansion will be valuable to campus.
“The benefit of this project is that it is enhancing and restoring a focal point on this campus for student, faculty, staff and visitor use,” he said.
Along with these two projects, MSU will also start construction this summer on its parking garage which is scheduled to be finished in January of 2015.
The garage will be built behind the YMCA/Post Office building and will be a combination between a garage and a classroom. Parking will be timed and anyone can park there. The rates will be $2 for the first hour and $1 per hour after that.
Mike Harris, director of Parking and Transit Operations, said through email the garage will bring a much needed change to campus.
“It will allow those who come to campus and may not have a parking permit to park as one can do at the meters,” Harris said. “It will provide visitor parking in the core of campus. This is a major need for our campus to have this type of parking in such a convenient location.”
While the other projects have already started construction or are set to start, a new design for Aiken Village is being sought, and administrators are trying to devise an affordable plan for the residents.
Bill Kibler, vice president of Student Affairs, said a reasonable rent price is still being decided.
“We want to provide another on-campus option for international students and families for a low cost. We want high quality housing but also want affordability for the students,” Kibler said.
MSU plans to have road blocks this summer due to construction. George Perry Street will be blocked from the four-way stop on Barr Avenue up to the YMCA/Post Office building.
This summer MSU is planning to start designs on its new project Fresh Food Dinning facility, which has no expected date to be fully completed.
With all of the construction taking place, Whatley said he hopes people will continue to remain calm and be patient throughout this process.
“I think the university community as a whole is anxious for the projects to be done as well,” he said. “We are excited about the enhancements we are making to these facilities, and we appreciate the patience and cooperation we receive from the community.”
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Construction continues despite wet weather
QUENTIN SMITH
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April 3, 2013
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