College Presidents Update Chamber On Construction
August 24, 2018
By PETE DELEA
Daily News-Record 8/24/18
HARRISONBURG — While colleges in the Harrisonburg area come in all shapes and sizes, most have at least one thing in common this year: construction.
Bulldozers have been busy at work on nearly every campus.
School leaders updated local business leaders on projects during the Harrisonburg- Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s annual Presidential Address on Thursday at Spotswood Country Club.
James Madison University alone has invested $400 million in current construction projects.
“The construction dollars sound real good,” said Frank Tamberrino, the chamber’s president and CEO. “In any community, that’s a fairly significant investment.”
JMU
It’s no surprise that JMU leads the way with the biggest project, the $88 million Union Bank & Trust Center, which will replace the Convocation Center to become the home of the Dukes by the start of the 2020-21 basketball season.
“You might have noticed a little bit of dirt,” President Jonathan Alger told the business leaders. “It’s going to be a premier venue for our entire region, not just for basketball.”
In addition to the new convo center, construction is underway for a new residence hall on University Boulevard and a building for the university’s business school on Bluestone Drive.
A 675-car parking lot is scheduled to open at the corner of Chesapeake Avenue and Grace Street within the next few days.
The university’s newest dining hall, D-Hall, opened two weeks ago.
The Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center, a $46 million private-public project, opened in May.
“This is a game-changer,” Alger said. “It connects us to downtown Harrisonburg.”
BRCC
While changes are happening at the Valley’s largest school, construction is ongoing at some of the area’s smaller institutions. BRCC President John Downey said a $5 million, 320- car parking garage opened over the summer at the Weyers Cave campus.
“It really alleviated a serious problem,” Downey said. Construction also is underway for new bioscience building. The more than 40,000-square-foot, two-story structure will include the school’s nursing and future paramedic programs. The $20.8 million project is slated to be completed by fall 2019.
EMU
EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman updated the business leaders on the ongoing renovations of the Suter Science Center. The first phase of the$ 11.3 million renovation, which includes new engineering labs, has been completed. The second phase should begin soon. Schultz Huxman said the university is in good shape as it enters its second 100 years after raising $9 million during 2017-18, EMU’s centennial year. “We shattered our giving records,” she said.
BC
President David Bushman said donations to BC also are up, which will help future capital projects. “We’re in a very strong financial position,” Bushman said.
While some smaller renovations on campus are complete, he said, work on the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons, which will include the college’s library, is underway. The $13 million expansion and renovation of the Alexander Mack Memorial Library kicked off in May. The 33,000- square- foot library will undergo a total renovation, while the 10,000-square-foot learning commons will be added to the building. It’s expected to open next school year.
ANU
As the other colleges in the Harrisonburg area plan to build new structures, one is preparing to sell its sole building. Wandile Maseko, director of American National University’s Harrisonburg campus, said ANU’s building on Country Club Road is up for sale. Maseko told the business leaders that a shift to online courses has reduced the need for such a big building. “We don’t need the space we once needed,” he said.
Maseko said the university will likely lease a much smaller facility.
Construction crews work at a Bridgewater College parking lot behind Moomaw Hall and the Kline Campus Center on July 26. Ongoing or recently finished projects costing millions of dollars were the highlight of an annual address by the area’s five college presidents to business leaders Thursday.
Daily News-Record 8/24/18
HARRISONBURG — While colleges in the Harrisonburg area come in all shapes and sizes, most have at least one thing in common this year: construction.
Bulldozers have been busy at work on nearly every campus.
School leaders updated local business leaders on projects during the Harrisonburg- Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s annual Presidential Address on Thursday at Spotswood Country Club.
James Madison University alone has invested $400 million in current construction projects.
“The construction dollars sound real good,” said Frank Tamberrino, the chamber’s president and CEO. “In any community, that’s a fairly significant investment.”
JMU
It’s no surprise that JMU leads the way with the biggest project, the $88 million Union Bank & Trust Center, which will replace the Convocation Center to become the home of the Dukes by the start of the 2020-21 basketball season.
“You might have noticed a little bit of dirt,” President Jonathan Alger told the business leaders. “It’s going to be a premier venue for our entire region, not just for basketball.”
In addition to the new convo center, construction is underway for a new residence hall on University Boulevard and a building for the university’s business school on Bluestone Drive.
A 675-car parking lot is scheduled to open at the corner of Chesapeake Avenue and Grace Street within the next few days.
The university’s newest dining hall, D-Hall, opened two weeks ago.
The Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center, a $46 million private-public project, opened in May.
“This is a game-changer,” Alger said. “It connects us to downtown Harrisonburg.”
BRCC
While changes are happening at the Valley’s largest school, construction is ongoing at some of the area’s smaller institutions. BRCC President John Downey said a $5 million, 320- car parking garage opened over the summer at the Weyers Cave campus.
“It really alleviated a serious problem,” Downey said. Construction also is underway for new bioscience building. The more than 40,000-square-foot, two-story structure will include the school’s nursing and future paramedic programs. The $20.8 million project is slated to be completed by fall 2019.
EMU
EMU President Susan Schultz Huxman updated the business leaders on the ongoing renovations of the Suter Science Center. The first phase of the$ 11.3 million renovation, which includes new engineering labs, has been completed. The second phase should begin soon. Schultz Huxman said the university is in good shape as it enters its second 100 years after raising $9 million during 2017-18, EMU’s centennial year. “We shattered our giving records,” she said.
BC
President David Bushman said donations to BC also are up, which will help future capital projects. “We’re in a very strong financial position,” Bushman said.
While some smaller renovations on campus are complete, he said, work on the John Kenny Forrer Learning Commons, which will include the college’s library, is underway. The $13 million expansion and renovation of the Alexander Mack Memorial Library kicked off in May. The 33,000- square- foot library will undergo a total renovation, while the 10,000-square-foot learning commons will be added to the building. It’s expected to open next school year.
ANU
As the other colleges in the Harrisonburg area plan to build new structures, one is preparing to sell its sole building. Wandile Maseko, director of American National University’s Harrisonburg campus, said ANU’s building on Country Club Road is up for sale. Maseko told the business leaders that a shift to online courses has reduced the need for such a big building. “We don’t need the space we once needed,” he said.
Maseko said the university will likely lease a much smaller facility.
Construction crews work at a Bridgewater College parking lot behind Moomaw Hall and the Kline Campus Center on July 26. Ongoing or recently finished projects costing millions of dollars were the highlight of an annual address by the area’s five college presidents to business leaders Thursday.
