The date for a
long-awaited ground breaking of a new Chemistry Biology building at the
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been set. It will be Thursday, May 5.
The total project
bids are within budget. Miron Construction of Neenah is the apparent low general
contractor. The general contractor bid includes mechanical, electrical,
plumbing and fire protection work.
The bids are positive
news, said Carl Rasmussen, facilities planning director at UW-Stevens Point. “We’re
working with UW System administrators and the Wisconsin Department of
Administration and its Division of Facilities
Development to determine
what, if any, items cut from the original project can be returned to it.”
The process of
awarding the contract and securing needed signatures is under way and can take
up to 90 days.
Work will begin
as soon as the contract is finalized. The ground breaking is scheduled for 11
a.m. May 5 in Lot X, the future site of the chemistry-biology building. It will
be along Fourth Avenue and adjacent to the current Science Building, which will
continue to house other academic programs, the planetarium and observatory.
Construction of
the new four-story building is expected to be completed by spring 2018. It is
the first major, free-standing academic facility built on campus since 1971.
The
176,500-square-foot building will contain building will contain three 48-seat
classrooms, two 24-seat classrooms, two 98-seat lecture halls and research and
teaching labs for biology and chemistry on each floor. Flexible room
configurations combined with modern technology will support hands-on learning
and student research, hallmarks of a UW-Stevens Point education.
Design work is
being done by Potter Lawson, Inc., Madison; and HOK, St. Louis, Mo. It is being
designed and built to meet sustainable LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards.
The State Building
Commission approved $75 million in capital funding as part of the
2013-2015 biennium budget and granted
authority to spend $75.18 million in April 2015. The additional $182,000,
from UW-Stevens Point student fees and program revenue funds, will be used for
a vegetative green roof on a portion of the building as well as a small café.
The $75 million in capital funding can only be used for this building.
The capital budget
is separate from the base state operations budget. Cuts proposed to the
UW System budget for the 2015-17 biennium are not affected by the capital
budget, nor can they be reduced by not constructing the science building.
In preparation for construction, landscaping on the perimeter of Lot X
will be removed the week of March 21, during spring break. Half of the shrubs
will be transplanted around campus. The others, less viable plants, are
available through Surplus Sales Store. Anyone interested may contact Fred Hopfensberger, fhopfens@uwsp.edu or 715-346-4474 at Surplus.
The new building
will put science on display, inviting students and the public to see and feel
science education and research as it happens, said Chris Cirmo, dean of the
College of Letters and Science.
“This building
will become an activity hub for campus, highlighted by a tropical conservatory,
collaborative student study spaces, an outdoor teaching amphitheater, coffee
shop and specialized laboratories in molecular biology, human biology, botany,
genetics, chemistry and biochemistry,” Cirmo said.