By Natalie Sit
The University of Calgary seems to be stuck in its favourite season–construction season.
U of C Students’ Union Vice-president Operations and Finance Matt Lauzon thinks MacEwan Hall expansion is progressing well, despite minor construction delays. However, he has doubts about the completion date, which he tentatively sets sometime in fall.
"I personally don’t think that it’s necessarily going to get done considering how many delays we’ve had with various projects," said Lauzon.
The pit outside MacEwan Hall is the future basement for the performers’ green room and storage underneath the stage. On the north side of MacEwan Hall are the walls for washrooms.
The new club offices are complete, which means the renovations of the SU office can be finished.
Just steps away from MacEwan Hall is the 35 per cent complete Information Communications Technology Building. The project is on budget and will be completed on schedule.
"It will be open in August of this year and be ready for the start of classes in September of this year," said U of C Director of Campus Planning Barry Kowalsky. "The work has been proceeding quite well in terms of few delays."
Construction for the Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology is gearing up as contractors and construction managers are selected. Kowalsky anticipates breaking ground by late spring or early summer.
"We are projecting 30,000 students by the year 2005," said Kowalsky. "Given the growth of enrolment and shortage of space, we are now planning to put in place portable classrooms and offices. [These are] temporary measures we are forced to take because we don’t have adequate funding to meet the capital demands."
With completion of the Campus Plan, the university has identified a long-range capital plan consisting of $650 million of development capital over the next five years. The money will address the existing shortfall of space and meet the continuing growth and enrolment on campus.
The university is also looking to plan a new research centre in the Faculty of Medicine, a sports pavilion in partnership with the Canadian Soccer Federation and an
indoor soccer dome.