USU proposes six new buildings to accommodate growth

Utah State University has six new buildings in the works and is awaiting final approval from Utah lawmakers to begin construction.

This is an unusual year for us to have so many projects all at once,” according to Dave Cowley, USU Vice President for Business and Finance.

Cowley recently presented the projects to the Infrastructure and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee.

“We are seeking your support to issue revenue bonds” on four of the buildings, Cowley said the subcommittee.

USU is also asking for operation and maintenance funding for the other two buildings for fiscal year 2020.

The buildings include an information technology building, residence hall, parking structure, two buildings to accommodate the research demand at the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL), and a new academic building at USU’s regional campus in Moab.

The Information Technology Services Building would be 23,500 square feet and is estimated to cost $7.7 million. USU is requesting $206,330 from the state in operation and maintenance funds.

“Computer science is one of our fastest growing departments,” Cowley said. “We have an academic department that has been experiencing very rapid growth and we’ve been trying for a number of years to try and figure out how to move that department to a building where we can get sufficient room for them.”

The new IT building will be built on the east side of campus across the street from the tennis courts.

A new 401-bed suite-style housing facility will replace the existing Mountain View Tower built in 1966. This is a follow-on project to the new Central Suites housing facility that opened in fall 2018.

“We were completely full when that opened in the fall of 2018,” said Cowley. “That has led us to the desire to replace the other tower right away. It’s a very good project and a good trade out of an old building for something that students really like living in.”

The cost estimate on the new tower is $41.6 million and will be funded by auxiliary revenue bonds.

Part of a long term master plan at USU is to build a number of parking structures to accommodate growth, according to Cowley.

“We have a need to build a structured parking garage on top of what is now just a surface parking lot,” he said.

The new 500-600 stall parking structure is proposed on the east side of the Logan campus adjacent to the Fine Arts facilities and on-campus housing at a cost of around $11.7 million. It will be funded by research revenue bonds.

The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) is bursting at the seams and demand for applied research competencies is creating the need for two new buildings. One is a lab research building, the other a high-bay building.

“The biggest problem they have right now is trying to keep up with the space and the workers they need to satisfy the demand for things coming their way,” said Cowley. “It’s a mixed blessing for us. It’s an incredible thing for economic development in Cache Valley and the state and it’s a real feather in the cap for the research at USU.”

The combined cost of the two facilities is an estimated $52.7 million and will be funded by research revenue bonds.

In 2012, USU acquired 40 acres in Moab for future development of a regional campus. This building will be the first facility on the new campus property. It will allow all existing USU programs to be relocated from the two existing commercial buildings that currently constitute the USU Moab campus. The facility will provide classrooms as well as space for nursing and health profession labs, a computer lab, and a testing center.

USU is asking the state for operating and maintenance funds of $184,526. The building is estimated to cost $11 million.

 

 

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1 Comment

  • L Allen February 19, 2019 at 9:33 am Reply

    I hope there is a net increase to parking on campus after this new parking terrace is built. I’m sure the campus will be loosing some spots for the new building. As a weekly visitor on campus it is simply a nightmare to find a place to park. USU and the State of Utah need to address this issue and stop being a poor citizen of our community on this issue.

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