Gym locker room restoration project in process, student housing to follow

By Judah Breitbach

A new student housing facility may be on the horizon.

Vice President Jack Huls says that the building will be either walking distance from the school, or situated on a bus route, rather than on campus.

The project is privately funded, so the school’s adjusted budget won’t influence this project.

“The time line to get such a project would the college about six years down the road before getting any sort of confirmation,” said Vice President of Administrative Service Deb Frazier.

    “We’ve released a Request For Proposals, RFP, and we successfully found a vendor for the project,” said Huls.

“Our first priority is supplying students.

“We’re just waiting for investors, housing developers, landowners to come to a point where the project is moving forward.

    “There are many more factors that are outside of our hands at this point.

“Ideally for us we’d like to see something open next year, whether that’s possible or not remains to be seen.”

Gym restoration and renovation    

The gym and fitness center is currently undergoing a restoration project titled “Phase III” with “Phase IV” soon to follow.

The current phase entails a restoration of the locker rooms. See the schematics to the left.

This project receives minimal funding from the state because of it’s “Lack of educational space.”

Phase IV will “add classroom space, additional team rooms with exterior access to the soccer field, athletic offices and repair and refinish the gym floor,” according to Frazier.

The classrooms would gain the school access to state funding for future gym projects.