Construction on AU campus buildings is progressing well, according to Jerry Gager, director of the Office of Facilities, Planning and Development.
McKinley Building
Three academic programs will be able to move in to the first and second floors of McKinley and Room 208 by Thursday.
The AU/NTL, which is part of the School of Public Affairs, will move in, as well as the Intercultural Management Institute and the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. The building will not be closed this summer.
"Someday we will move everyone out of McKinley to do complete renovations," Gager said. "We would move the School of Communication in."
SOC Dean Larry Kirkman reports that planning is now underway.
"A faculty, staff and alumni committee is working on a preliminary program for building and reviewing documents that will be sent out to architects for firms to offer proposals," Kirkman said. "We are in the beginning stages of raising money to make this move possible. We hope to begin [construction] in four to five years."
Anderson Hall
Regarding the move of Housing and Dining programs into the first floor of Anderson, taking over the Formal Lounge, a pre-bid meeting will be held in mid-April to determine the cost of the project. The design is completed, and once the price of the project is chosen, a decision will be made whether or not to start construction.
If construction were to begin on Anderson, mid-May through late July would be the expected time, Gager said.
Julie Weber, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs, explained the reason for the move.
"Housing and Dining has outgrown the Rockwood Building," Weber said. "With six people in Rockwood, it is full and noisy and hard to conduct business with students. I am looking forward to more room and privacy in Anderson Hall."
Regarding the Anderson elevator project Willy Suter, director of Physical Plant Operations, said that this move is ahead of schedule.
"We should be finished by April 16," Suter said. "Housing and Dining received no complaints or responses from students regarding the project. None of what Housing and Dining feared would happen happened."
Mary Graydon Center
There will also be construction on Mary Graydon Center. The project plans to enclose the bridge at the north end of MGC. The conceptual design was approved two years ago, and an architectural firm is refining the design of the interior of MGC's first floor.
"The bridge will be enclosed and open up onto the first floor," Gager said. "We are still early in design."
"Below the bridge a room is set to be created as an overflow room for TDR during peak times," said Michael Elmore, senior director of the University Center. "The room will also serve as a place to hold various university activities."
They also plan to move the information center to that end of Mary Graydon to make it more sophisticated, Elmore said.
"The bridge is the link between the three buildings [of the University Center], the access point from the Quad," Elmore said. "This is another step to make it more like a conventional campus center."
The three buildings are Mary Graydon Center, Butler Pavilion and the Sports Center, Elmore said.
Gager and Elmore expect that there will probably be some changes to the Tavern.
"We might block off the door into the fire stairwell, since it is a better place to set up a stage for concerts," Gager said.
"You would no longer have to go out of the Tavern through the emergency exit to get to the Butler Pavilion," Elmore said.
Student Union Board director Aram Richard is looking forward to the change.
"By taking out the emergency stairwell exit in the Tavern, it will make the space more conducive to programming," Richard said. "A more self-contained facility will allow for bigger shows and remedy the problem of not getting Bender Arena."
According to Richard, who is also a member of a student committee for input on the project, the construction would allow SUB to continue to get bigger shows like Talib Kweli and the Ataris.
"It's a terrific idea ... The construction will improve circulation of the three parts of the University Center," Elmore said.
The Quad
"New additions to the Quad include building more walkways in front of Kay," Gager said. "Also, we intend to put new landscaping in during Campus Beautification Day."
On Campus Beautification Day, April 14, students, faculty and staff will plant flowers, lay mulch, and plant trees around the campus, according to Katherine Kirlin, co-director of the event.
Campus groups and clubs have adopted spots on campus to clean up. A group previously adopted a spot called "Sarah's Garden," in honor of a former staff member who died.
"It brings the University together to get involved every year to beautify our campus," Kirlin said. "Campus Beautification Day occurs every year, two days before Freshman Preview Day."
Katzen Arts Center
The Katzen Arts Center construction is moving along and beginning projects are near complete.
"The excavation is 99 percent complete, and at the gallery end, the concrete wall is 80 percent complete," Gager said.
According to Gager, Area B, in the center of the building across from Glover Gate, is moving along and should top off at the end of April. The recent stretch of good weather has helped speed up construction. Gager expects the entire project to be complete by April 2005.
"We are in the process of talking with a lot of people about donating to put their names on different rooms throughout the building," said David Carrera senior director of Divisional Programs of the Capital Campaign. "We are progressing nicely. It is a great impetus, us being able to do this."
Construction updates on the Katzen Arts Center are available at www.american.edu/katzen.
School of International Service Building
The new SIS building is making progress with a conceptual design in the works by architectural development team.
"We are in development and production mode and generating ideas and drawings," Gager said. "There is no building design yet."
The old SIS building will stay in place, and the new one will be built in the parking lot adjacent to the old building.
"We are very excited about the new building," said SIS Dean Louis Goodman. "Architects are developing plans now. The new site will give us the size we need to bring all of our faculty together and create the type of program we want for all students."
McCabe Health Center
Teams are reviewing instruction manuals for construction on the McCabe building. Gager hopes to begin construction in the late summer with the permit process completed as early as July. The goal for completed construction is spring 2005.
