CSU closer to construction of academic village

FORT COLLINS — Colorado State University will pick from 12 general contractors who have bid to build the first phase of the proposed resident academic village on campus.

Companies located in Northern Colorado or Denver submitted a majority of proposals, school officials said. CSU will award the contract before the end of the school year.

As planned, the $35 million first phase will include a 128,500-square-foot residential building, including 420 beds, and an adjacent 42,000-square-foot dining hall that will serve 1,600.

The project is not state-funded; instead it is being paid with revenue bonds and private funding. The academic village is still in the design phase and has no set structure.

CSU conceived of the project to allow students in the honors and engineering programs to live together and learn together in a “stimulating environment”.

The village will be built on land currently occupied by the Ellis residence hall. The hall is scheduled for demolition this summer, allowing construction to begin on the new village by the fall. The first phase, which includes housing for 420 and a dining hall, will open by fall 2007.

The second phase of the project will occur on land currently occupied by the Newsome residence hall. Phase two should be completed by 2009 or 2010.

“Ellis was chosen for demolition because of its age,´ said Mike McCormick, new construction coordinator of housing for CSU. “The infrastructure needs so much work we just felt it was time and that it had served its purpose.”

The number of students living on campus has remained fairly steady in the past five years; the dormitory system has experienced a net decline of 10 students since 2001. In 2004, the university opened Summit Hall, which houses 535. Setting rooms aside for single-occupancy throughout the system maintains a constant number of residents. Ellis, which has the capability of housing 400, is housing 200.

“It is amazing to see the steady numbers of students living on campus,´ said Mary Ellen Sinnwell, director of residence life. “With this academic village, we hope to draw more program-specific first years. We also hope to have more retention as students want to return to the halls because of the facilities and programs.”

The residences will probably have a variety of living options, including suites, single rooms and apartments suitable for upperclassmen or willing faculty.

The village’s dining room will be large enough to feed residents of Newsome, Ingersoll, Summit and Edwards residence halls. Food will be prepared in front of students, instead of served in a cafeteria line.

The dining area will be broken into smaller sections to accommodate study groups and other gatherings. The vacated dining rooms at the other halls will most likely be transformed into academic areas for classes or study groups.

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