Master plan sets the tone for transformation at College of Saint Benedict
May 23, 2011
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A year from now the CSB campus community will likely be getting used to the sounds of hammering and buzz saws. That's because CSB is about to embark on a series of large-scale construction projects envisioned in the 20-year master plan approved in 2007.
"This is a very exciting time in the history of the College of Saint Benedict," said CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger. "We are improving some of our current facilities and are in the planning stages for three significant building projects that will transform living and learning on campus. On the eve of our 100th anniversary in 2013, these projects lay the foundation for the next century."
The first two building projects are the renovation and expansion of nursing department space on the fourth floor of the Main Building and the construction of residential units that will house 124-126 CSB upperclass women.
The nursing program opened in 1973 in the current space, which simply doesn't meet the needs of today's nursing students. The current 1,600 square feet of space will be expanded to roughly 5,500 square feet of student learning space, which includes areas for real-life simulations, said Carie Braun, chair of the nursing department.
CSB institutional advancement has been actively fundraising for the $3 million needed to renovate, expand and endow the operation of these facilities. To date, nearly $600,000 has been raised, said Kim Motes, vice president of institutional advancement.
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This fall, construction is expected to begin on new residential units that will be located on College Avenue across from the East Apartments. CSB will have a bond issued to finance the cost of this project, estimated at $6.5 million, said Sue Palmer, vice president of finance and administration. The residential units will be a series of smaller buildings that will house double and quad apartments. There will be five doubles and 28 or 29 four-person units, or six doubles and 27 or 28 four-person units, according to Jody Terhaar, CSB dean of students. Each unit will be equipped with either two or four bedrooms, one to two baths, laundry facilities, full kitchen with seating space for dining, living room and storage space. There will also be a community center with multipurpose rooms for programming and student gatherings. Two additional projects are scheduled for this summer. According to Jim Schuman, CSB executive director of facilities and security, renovation will begin in the basement of Lottie Hall for the expected December move from SJU of all the information technology client services staff. In addition, College Avenue Apartments, located on College Avenue across from the Main Building, will be refurbished for student housing. CSB purchased these two eight-plexes earlier this year. This project will begin June 1 and is expected to be completed by Aug. 15. These projects are the beginning of a series of significant developments that will transform CSB's campus over the next 10-15 years. Plans are underway to build a new academic building that will be on the south end of campus and house computer science, economics, math and psychology. This building is expected to cost $55 million. The goal is to raise $50 million of it as part of the $125 million Centennial Campaign. CSB will celebrate its centennial during the 2013-14 academic year. Ideally, the project will break ground in 2014. An additional $20 million of the campaign will cover the costs of phase I of the Haehn Campus Center renovation and expansion which includes new student activities space, a dining center, an expanded fitness center, a bookstore and renovation of Claire Lynch Hall. Additional phases which include a hockey arena, new field house and pool will be constructed after the completion of the Centennial Campaign. Related Link WJON Radio: |
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Site Plan
New Academic Building
Haehn Campus Center Expansion and Renovation |
