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Campus re-construction continuing

In the beginning of March the LRC-D will officially be closed for construction. It is moving to its temporary home in the basement of the D building on March 13.

The floor in the LRC-D is to be raised 7 inches for easier access to networking cables and the ceiling is to be dropped for better lighting.

A Peoria company, Bishop Brothers will be taking on the construction scheduled to begin within the next couple of weeks, said Director of Physical Plant, Larry Rousey.

Ceiling tiles, carpeting, and a few odds and ends need to be finished up before the immense job of transporting all of the computers, printers, and reconnecting all of the cables begins in the basement.

"We’re hoping to start the job and finish it over the March 11 and 12 weekend," said Rousey.

The LRC-D computer lab will then reopen on Monday morning, March 13.

The instructors that are currently located in the LRC-D will begin the move to the lower level as soon as March 3.

Project Success offices and reception area to be temporarily moved to the upper E building where many of the mathematics instructors’ offices are located, just upstairs from the counseling center and down the hall from the continuing education department.

The entire LRC-D construction project is to be completed by the end of April, when construction is to begin on the A building.

Construction is to begin in May to replace the Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in the A building, along with a new roof, and the remaining asbestos in the building is also to be removed.

The D and E buildings have undergone similar changes in the past year, with the remaining buildings in the next three years to be done at a cost of about $4.5 million.

During its construction, the instructors’ offices in the A building will be temporarily relocated to the Counseling Center behind the current wall that divides the area.

"That wall is dividing the Counseling Center from the work going on to put up the ceilings for the offices that are moving there," said Rousey.

Electric wiring and HVAC systems are currently going into that area as well.

Walls are soon to be assembled to divide the offices from one another and separate telephone lines are to be run as well.

Other improvements are also underway on campus.

Rousey said that there are plans, weather permitting, to get the baseball field in better conditions for the upcoming season. McClure Engineering of Ottawa were consulted on its current condition and improvements are going to attempted.

"Our people (grounds and maintenance) are going to do the work, which greatly reduces the cost. We just have to deal with the cost of materials," said Rousey. "It’s just basically re-laying sod, aeration, and rolling and mowing the area."

Rousey added, "The grading of (the field) is good, so it’s not much, weather permitting."