Posted 3:23 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3, 2012
[caption id="attachment_2105" align="alignright" width="500" caption="Crews excavate the site of the new parking ramp and police services building on the gravel lots west of the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center."]
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With several significant construction projects in UW-La Crosse history complete — a new stadium, residence hall and academic building — it may seem like construction on campus has slowed. But that’s not the case. This summer campus officials and construction crews have been plotting out future facilities and making some major renovations.
Parking Ramp & Police Services Building
This July construction crews began excavating and pouring footings for UW-L’s new parking ramp and police services building. The ramp and building are being built on the gravel lots west of the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center on the south side of La Crosse Street. Crews will continue to build throughout the winter; the ramp is expected to be substantially complete by late summer 2013. The police services building will likely be complete about the same time or soon after.
New Student Center
A new student center was approved by students in an April referendum. The facility will require additional approvals from the State Building Commission and the UW System Board of Regents after a design is finalized. The center will be constructed on the Wimberly Hall parking lot and would replace Cartwright Center. The approximately $55 million project would be paid for by a gradual increase in student fees and would likely be completed in fall 2016.
[caption id="attachment_2111" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Although an architect has yet to create a final design for the new science center, campus officials have created a pre-design concept. This is a view from the southwest. The white indicates where Phase I of the project would go in relation to Cowley Hall."]
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Replacing a 1960s-era science hall
Campus officials are also planning for a new science hall, anticipated to be constructed in two phases. Phase I of the project — roughly the size of Centennial Hall — would be built on the Cowley Hall parking lot. This phase, costing $82 million, would be a new, four-story facility including teaching and research labs and associated support spaces. UW-L officials anticipate hiring an architect in 2013 to start working on a final design. Construction for phase I would likely begin in 2015. Phase 2 is a new addition that replaces the existing Cowley Hall, including classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, departments, offices, conference rooms, and ancillary support spaces to complete the program needs. The state-of-the-art facility replaces Cowley Hall, built in 1965 with few facility upgrades or improvements over the past 46 years.
Energy-efficient campus lighting
Not only are new buildings in the works; the campus is also lighting up with new, energy-efficient lampposts. UW-L is replacing all the lampposts that illuminate pedestrian walkways on two thirds of the campus this summer. Crews have already started and will likely be completely installed by the end of the summer. The new lampposts have LED light fixtures and will be 30 to 40 percent more energy efficient than the old lights. They are also designed to add more light to walkways while not increasing light pollution in the surrounding area.
[caption id="attachment_2108" align="alignright" width="243" caption="The new lampposts going up across campus are painted black with a vintage, decorative style."]
[/caption]Keeping score
Four new score boards will go up on campus this year. They will be on the football and soccer fields inside the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex; at the softball diamond on the north campus fields; and at the pool in Mitchell Hall. The football field board will include a 15-by-40 foot monitor to display not only the score and time, but also video. The goal is for the it to be completed before the first home football game. The soccer scoreboard will be complete by late summer or early fall, followed by the swimming and softball score boards.
East entrance improvements to Whitney
Construction crews are replacing a large, limestone retaining wall and bridge at the entrance of Whitney Center. The wall, part of the original 1960s-era building, was bowing and soil was spilling from joints between the stones. The wall supports the bridge leading to Whitney’s entrance, which was also in need of extensive repair and is being replaced. The repairs should be completed by the start of the school year.
Renovations after fires
Fires broke out in the basements of two UW-L buildings — Drake Hall and Wittich Hall —this winter and summer. Although no one was injured in the fires, both buildings required renovations from the smoke damage.
The January fire in Drake, a residence hall, forced 271 students into new housing for the rest of the semester. Fire investigators blamed human activity for the fire, but the exact cause is still unknown. Renovations to Drake Hall were finished in June. The facility will be ready for students in the fall.
The Wittich Hall fire on June 16 started near a power strip on a wall in a basement storage area. The fire, ruled accidental, was contained to the basement. However, it left extensive smoke damage throughout the building. Crews are still cleaning and deodorizing. Restoration is expected to be complete by early August. The total cost of restoration of Drake Hall was $2.8 million and Wittich Hall restorations are expected to be about $350,000.
Making room for new staff
Workers have also been busy renovating office spaces throughout campus to accommodate new faculty and staff hired through Growth, Quality and Access. The GQA initiative was approved by the UW System Board of Regents in 2007 to increase the number of graduates, lower the student to faculty ratio and increase access for more students. As of this fall, about 170 new faculty and staff positions have been added to UW-L because of GQA.
[/caption]
With several significant construction projects in UW-La Crosse history complete — a new stadium, residence hall and academic building — it may seem like construction on campus has slowed. But that’s not the case. This summer campus officials and construction crews have been plotting out future facilities and making some major renovations.
Parking Ramp & Police Services Building
This July construction crews began excavating and pouring footings for UW-L’s new parking ramp and police services building. The ramp and building are being built on the gravel lots west of the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center on the south side of La Crosse Street. Crews will continue to build throughout the winter; the ramp is expected to be substantially complete by late summer 2013. The police services building will likely be complete about the same time or soon after.
New Student Center
A new student center was approved by students in an April referendum. The facility will require additional approvals from the State Building Commission and the UW System Board of Regents after a design is finalized. The center will be constructed on the Wimberly Hall parking lot and would replace Cartwright Center. The approximately $55 million project would be paid for by a gradual increase in student fees and would likely be completed in fall 2016.
[caption id="attachment_2111" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Although an architect has yet to create a final design for the new science center, campus officials have created a pre-design concept. This is a view from the southwest. The white indicates where Phase I of the project would go in relation to Cowley Hall."][/caption]
Replacing a 1960s-era science hall
Campus officials are also planning for a new science hall, anticipated to be constructed in two phases. Phase I of the project — roughly the size of Centennial Hall — would be built on the Cowley Hall parking lot. This phase, costing $82 million, would be a new, four-story facility including teaching and research labs and associated support spaces. UW-L officials anticipate hiring an architect in 2013 to start working on a final design. Construction for phase I would likely begin in 2015. Phase 2 is a new addition that replaces the existing Cowley Hall, including classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, departments, offices, conference rooms, and ancillary support spaces to complete the program needs. The state-of-the-art facility replaces Cowley Hall, built in 1965 with few facility upgrades or improvements over the past 46 years.
Energy-efficient campus lighting
Not only are new buildings in the works; the campus is also lighting up with new, energy-efficient lampposts. UW-L is replacing all the lampposts that illuminate pedestrian walkways on two thirds of the campus this summer. Crews have already started and will likely be completely installed by the end of the summer. The new lampposts have LED light fixtures and will be 30 to 40 percent more energy efficient than the old lights. They are also designed to add more light to walkways while not increasing light pollution in the surrounding area.
[caption id="attachment_2108" align="alignright" width="243" caption="The new lampposts going up across campus are painted black with a vintage, decorative style."][/caption]Keeping score
Four new score boards will go up on campus this year. They will be on the football and soccer fields inside the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex; at the softball diamond on the north campus fields; and at the pool in Mitchell Hall. The football field board will include a 15-by-40 foot monitor to display not only the score and time, but also video. The goal is for the it to be completed before the first home football game. The soccer scoreboard will be complete by late summer or early fall, followed by the swimming and softball score boards.
East entrance improvements to Whitney
Construction crews are replacing a large, limestone retaining wall and bridge at the entrance of Whitney Center. The wall, part of the original 1960s-era building, was bowing and soil was spilling from joints between the stones. The wall supports the bridge leading to Whitney’s entrance, which was also in need of extensive repair and is being replaced. The repairs should be completed by the start of the school year.
Renovations after fires
Fires broke out in the basements of two UW-L buildings — Drake Hall and Wittich Hall —this winter and summer. Although no one was injured in the fires, both buildings required renovations from the smoke damage.
The January fire in Drake, a residence hall, forced 271 students into new housing for the rest of the semester. Fire investigators blamed human activity for the fire, but the exact cause is still unknown. Renovations to Drake Hall were finished in June. The facility will be ready for students in the fall.
The Wittich Hall fire on June 16 started near a power strip on a wall in a basement storage area. The fire, ruled accidental, was contained to the basement. However, it left extensive smoke damage throughout the building. Crews are still cleaning and deodorizing. Restoration is expected to be complete by early August. The total cost of restoration of Drake Hall was $2.8 million and Wittich Hall restorations are expected to be about $350,000.
Making room for new staff
Workers have also been busy renovating office spaces throughout campus to accommodate new faculty and staff hired through Growth, Quality and Access. The GQA initiative was approved by the UW System Board of Regents in 2007 to increase the number of graduates, lower the student to faculty ratio and increase access for more students. As of this fall, about 170 new faculty and staff positions have been added to UW-L because of GQA.