Over the past several years, has seen a number of major improvements, including ones made to the athletic and recreation facilities completed in 2014, followed by the new welcome center and O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center, completed in time for fall 2015 classes.

This year, the campus will see the completion of a $1.6 million safe room, funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It will be the first tornado shelter of its kind on campus. Doug Sampson, university architect and director of planning, design and construction, told the that the campus has designated areas for people to take shelter, but this will be the first shelter area built to withstand a tornado. Scheduled for completion by year’s end, the shelter will be large enough to accommodate 1,200 people.

Other smaller projects being completed this year include improvements to fire suppression systems, elevator and bathroom renovations, and accessibility improvements throughout campus.

Another major project, scheduled for completion in approximately one year, is the expansion and renovation of Glass Hall, which houses the university’s College of Business. The project will add 40,000 square feet to the existing 170,000-square-foot structure as well as renovate existing public spaces such as the building’s corridors and restrooms. Chicago-headquartered Perkins + Will is serving as the consultant on the project, while locally based DeWitt & Associates Inc. is the general contractor.

Construction is scheduled to start next month on the renovation of Ellis Hall, home to the Department of Music. It, too, is slated to take roughly a year to complete. The project includes advance work, including asbestos abatement and relocating the faculty and staff to a temporary location at Glen Isle Shopping Center, reported the Springfield News-Leader.

In October, the university will break ground on the new 36,000-square-foot Taylor Health and Wellness Center. Designed by St. Louis-headquartered Hastings + Chivetta, the Taylor Health and Wellness Center will include a pharmacy, lab and women’s clinic as well as existing health and wellness services. It will feature a drive-up pharmacy window as well as landscaping to connect the facility the university’s new welcome center, according to the . It will also be located on the site of the existing Taylor Health and Wellness Center, and current health and wellness operations will be relocated to make way for demolition of the building.

Students advocated for the new center by voting to create a health fee so that the university’s construction department can sell bonds for the project, Sampson told the Springfield News-Leader. The project is scheduled for completion in 2017.

The post Missouri State’s $123 Million in Construction Projects on Track appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

The post Missouri State’s $123 Million in Construction Projects on Track appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

In the past three years, the school has seen a number of major improvements, including those made to its completed last year, and this summer is no different. Several projects are scheduled for completion, including the new welcome center, O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center and renovations to various academic buildings, residence halls and auxiliary buildings. Plus, crews are repairing tunnels that carry campus utilities such as data, electrical power, water, steam and chilled water lines.

The Department of Planning, Design & Construction oversees all projects with multiple project managers and construction mangers involved. Locally based DeWitt & Associates is the construction manager for the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center, and St. Charles, Mo.-based Wright Construction Services Inc. is in charge of the building the new welcome center, according to Ken McClure, vice president for administrative and information services for MSU.

“[The projects] have multiple goals,” McClure said. “For instance, the welcome center is designed to be a first stop for prospective students. We have people coming in each day to find out about the university, so this will be a focal point for them.”

Scheduled for completion this summer, the new welcome center will feature an open lobby, offices, a conference room and a 100-seat auditorium. It will be a digital building, with technology that displays information about the campus.

The O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center is also scheduled for completion in time for the 2015 fall semester. The three-story, 58,800-square-foot will house the College of Health and Human Services’ new and growing programs, including the occupational therapy, nursing, physician assistant studies and biomedical sciences departments, nurse anesthesia program and a multi-disciplinary health clinic.

Other highlights of the summer construction projects include a testing and assessment center at Meyer Library. The new center and classroom is being constructed on the library’s lower level and will be used for student testing required by outside agencies. Another project includes installing four steel canopies over the existing bicycle ribbon racks south of the library. Each canopy will support a small solar array to produce electricity and provide shelter. Work is underway and scheduled for completion prior to the fall semester.

In order to keep utilities running to the new facilities, the construction crew will also repair tunnels north of the Plaster Student Union, which are showing signs of severe deterioration. The concrete top is spalling and is close to failing in many areas, according to the school’s website, any failure of the tunnel top would impact the utilities at multiple buildings on campus.

The university is also completing several accessibility-related upgrades. Improvements will be made in Kemper and Temple Halls, confirming restroom facilities and drinking fountain facilities are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Grants and cost share programs, major private gifts, reserve funding and money from the university’s general funds will support the multimillion-dollar improvements. The only student fees being used are from students in the graduate health programs. Those funds will pay for a portion of the O’Reilly Clinical Health Sciences Center, reported , a local news station.

University leaders said that the school expects a record freshman class size this fall and that enrollment should continue to climb for its fifth consecutive year, reported KY3.

The post Missouri State Undergoes 20 Construction Projects appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

The post Missouri State Undergoes 20 Construction Projects appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

Maryland Heights, Mo.-based Byrne & Jones Sports installed the improvements, while locally based DeWitt and Associates Inc. served as the general contractor and St. Louis-based Hastings + Chivetta Architects Inc. served as the architect.

The $24 million makeover includes improvements at four different areas on campus. The largest improvement occurs at Plaster Sports Complex where the existing student seating on the east side of the stadium will be removed and replaced with a new 4,000-seat precast concrete structure. It will feature a raised patio in the grandstand to serve the students, new concessions, restrooms and ticket windows. Also part of the structure, a new game-day meeting room for the football team will be constructed as well as a visitor’s locker room. The existing football field will be removed and relocated closer to the west bleachers in an effort to improve the fan experience.

The existing field north of Glass Hall will be developed into a NCAA regulation soccer field, surrounded by a new synthetic track. Field events will be located at the south of this new field and track, which will include stepple chase, pole vault and a warm-up running area. In addition, a 1,000-seat grandstand with restrooms, locker rooms and a press box will be located on the west side of the facility. A new field hockey and lacrosse field will also be constructed north of Hammons Student Center. This regulation field will support the field hockey program and includes a small grandstand, restrooms and a press box.

The project also includes a pair of sand volleyball courts at the southwest corner of Hammons Student Center. This improvement will also include a press box and an informal seating area along the courts. Each court will have its own scoreboard and the area will be entirely fenced. The fields at the soccer complex, the field hockey complex and the volleyball complex will be secured to allow students access to the fields using their BearPass card.

Construction began in December 2013 and has posed some minor challenges, said Jameson Sheley, general manager for Byrne & Jones Sports. For instance, Byrne & Jones has had limited access to the football field while the bleacher area is being redone, so the company will have just 60 days to install the football field over the summer. Plus, all of the fields are different and must be customized and installed to accommodate the type of sport it will serve, Sheley added.

The 2014 Auxiliary Enterprise Revenue Bonds issued in February 2014 funded the project. The revenue stream that will repay the bonds is being taken from the student-approved, $50-per-semester Bears Experience and Recreation (B.E.A.R.) Fee; central funding; a private gift commitment; and auxiliary bond payments that roll off and will be redirected in 2017. Additional private gifts are expected in the future for naming opportunities.

“We are able to take this step because of our students,” said Missouri State President Clifton M. Smart III in a statement. “They had the vision; they took the initiative and they approved a fee that will cover the vast majority of this work. From a university standpoint, I think these facilities can be a game-changer for how the university is viewed, in its appeal to students, and for the success of our students and athletic teams.”

The post MSU to Debut New Athletic Facilities appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.

The post MSU to Debut New Athletic Facilities appeared first on Â鶹¸£ÀûÍø.