Construction continues into summer

Crews work on Plecker, Harrison, Logan, CISAT buildings

Katelyn Wyszysnki / staff photographer Workers continue construction on the multi-million dollar Robert and Frances Plecker Athletic Performance Center. The building, situated at the eastern end of Zane Showker Field is scheduled for completion by Februrary 2005.

JMU will continue its renovations and construction of Harrison and Logan halls the CISAT academic biotechnology building and the Robert and Frances Plecker Athletic Performance Center over the summer and, in some cases, into the fall.

“We are bringing our buildings up to modern standards and establishing a quality learning environment for both current and prospective students in future years,” Fred Hilton, director of university communications, said.

Harrison Hall, which was built in 1915, is undergoing internal renovations that are totaling $9.7 million to house the school of communication studies, the school of media arts and design and the Institute of Technical and Scientific Communication which temporarily are placed in the Modular buildings.

Michael Smilowitz, a communications professor, said the building was not fully accessible to those with disabilities, and through the renovations these issues will be addressed. The buildings also are receiving technology renovations.

The renovation is to be completed during the summer of 2005, and it is scheduled to be fully functional in the fall of 2005, Hilton said. After the move is completed, the Modular buildings will be used to accommodate other departments that are losing their locations temporarily to renovations.

There is an ongoing project to renovate all of the older buildings in the bluestone area. Previously, Maury and Sheldon halls were renovated. The first dorm in line to receive renovation is Logan Hall. The dorm was shut down after the spring of 2003, and is scheduled to be completed this summer to house students in the fall. The building will be repainted and the plumbing system and wiring will be replaced, according to Hilton.

Two construction projects currently are underway — one being the Biotechnology building, which will house physics and chemistry and the other an athletic center.

The Biotech building, which is estimated to be completed by January 2005, is being constructed to house the physics and chemistry departments, which will move from Miller Hall. Miller Hall no longer can accommodate the labs and classrooms and function effectively, according to Tom Gallaher, chemistry department analytic chemist.

Departments, such as psychology and anthropology, will then move to Miller Hall, according to www.jmu.edu/betterva/wm_preview/miller.shtml. The building should be fully-operational academically by the summer of 2005, Gallaher said. He also said the move is expected to increase attention to the department and possibly increase support from granting agencies toward research.

“At the chemistry department, we are all very excited,” said sophomore Jessica Zetelski, a chemistry major. “We have been cramped in Miller, so it will be nice to have more room to work and hopefully we can get some new instruments.”

The Robert and Frances Plecker Athletic Performance Center, which is a $9.8 million project that began early last semester, is expected to be complete in January of 2005.

The athletic center, named in honor of the Pleckers, who are long-time supporters of JMU athletics according to www.jmu.edu/development/donor_relations/Plecker.shtml, will be located at the end zone of the football stadium across from Eagle Hall.

The building will contain the football offices for coaches and locker rooms for the football players. It also will serve as an athletic support center for student-athletes, a sports medicine office, a strength-training center and a meeting place for coaches and their teams. All these services currently are located under the east stands of Bridgeforth Stadium.

“It is going to be a tremendous improvement and statement about the university to the community that we are working toward building a successful athletic program,” said JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne.

These projects only are the first few in line of others, including a new fine arts building and the continued renovation of the Bluestone buildings.