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Westfield State College trustees consider $100 million campus construction project

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Recommended construction will satisify student needs for housing and classrooms

WestfieldStateBillboard.jpgView full sizeThis billboard announces the name change of Westfield State College to Westfield State University that will be taking place later this month.

WESTFIELD – Westfield State College, soon to become Westfield State University, is planning an estimated $100 million in growth to facilities and services on the Western Avenue campus.

That growth will include a new residence hall, classroom building, addition to the dining hall and additional parking.

Plans were presented to the college’s Board of Trustees during a meeting Tuesday at the Ely Campus Center. Trustees will meet in December to consider approval of the project.

It was outlined by Kenneth M. Lemanski, college vice president for advancement and college relations, and Amy J. Kohn, a planner with Boston consulting firm Goody Clancy. The request represents an amendment to the college’s 2007 Master Plan.

Representatives from the state School Building Administration and Department of Capital Asset Management attended the briefing and voiced support. They did not commit to funding but are expected to meet with trustees early next year to discuss financing the project.

Lemanski suggested that bonding will be sought with assistance from SBA and DCAM. He said financing could be planned for calendar 2012.

The recommended expansion will now be presented to the Westfield community at-large.

Last year the college re-established its local ties with the City of Westfield and because of that, Lemanski will make presentations of the project at a neighborhood meeting and a session with the City Council between now and the December trustees’ meeting.

The latest construction work on campus was the $1.2 million renovation of the Banacos Academic Center. The center will be dedicated during Homecoming Ceremonies Oct. 23 in memory of Jimmy Banacos, a Watertown native and WSC education major who suffered a paralyzing injury in 1970 and died in 2005. It houses the college’s tutoring center, disability services and learning disabilities program.

Trustees met Tuesday in the Arno Maris Art Gallery, located in the recently renovated Ely Campus Center. Renovation of the center, completed a year ago, cost about $10 million.

The plan outlined by Kohn shows location of the proposed residence hall inside an open area now bounded by the campus center, dinning commons and Lammers Hall, a residence facility.

It will stand four stories high and provide 410 students beds, a need that was identified in a 2009 survey of college services, programs, facilities and enrollment. It will cost an estimated $55 million and target date for occupancy is 2013-2014.

The addition to the dining commons would provide an additional 200 - 300 seats with a new wellness or fitness center on the second floor. That project cost is estimated at $5.5 to $7 million total. The occupancy date is also targeted for 2013-2014.

A new academic building, proposed for location along Western Avenue, is estimated at about $33 million and will serve either general academics or specialized science and technology. No occupancy date was discussed.


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