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| Volume 10, Number 11 | February 7, 2003 |
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College Bldg. restoration to begin this summer
By Colleen MacPherson Work is expected to begin in early summer on the $20.7-million job of restoring the College Building to its former glory, even though the University is still waiting to hear if the federal government is willing to pick up a third of the tab. The University's Board of Governors agreed at its Jan. 31 meeting to call for tenders on the project in May, with approval of the final budget and awarding of contracts expected in June. Paul Becker, Associate Vice-President of the Facilities Management Division, said restoration of the building, which was vacated some 10 years ago due to major structural defects, will begin as soon as the contracts are awarded. The goal, he said, is to occupy what many believe to be the second most important heritage building in the province after the Legislative Building by December 2004, just in time for the Saskatchewan centenary celebration in 2005. In the meantime, the University will continue its efforts to convince the Ottawa to contribute to the project. Becker said the original expectation was that about $6.5 million would come from each of three partners - the provincial and federal governments and the U of S. "We're still pushing very, very hard for federal funding," he said, but since none has been forthcoming, the University has decided to proceed using $6.5 million allocated from the province's centenary fund and money from its own operating and minor capital budgets "over a multi-year period". Optimistic the federal government will agree to contribute, University President Peter MacKinnon is "absolutely delighted" with the decision to go ahead and is confident "it is possible to finance this in the short term". "The College Building is the architectural centrepiece of this campus. It's an important historic and cultural building, and we need the space. It must be restored." Along with refurbishing the College Building, built in 1910-12 and one of the finest examples of Collegiate Gothic architecture on campus, the project will include two other major components. One is a $769,000 extension of the existing atrium entrance to the Administration Building. The other is construction of three links - two underground to connect the College Building with both the Physics Building and Saskatchewan Hall, and one above-grade between the Admin Building and the new Physical Activity Complex (Kinesiology Bldg.). Estimated cost for the three links is $1.1 million. Together, the various elements of the project will come together to alter "the sense of space in that quadrant of the campus which right now is not overly dynamic," said Becker. "It will be a vibrant, lively, exciting place," just the kind of place the University hopes will be attractive to students whose needs played a significant role in the project design. A major player in the renovated space will be the Student and Enrolment Services Division (SESD), which will occupy much of the ground and first floor of the College Building as well as the Admin Building ground level and atrium extension. The objective is to give students easy access to the planned First-Stop Centre in the atrium and, from there, to all the services needed to enhance their experience on campus, Becker said. The three links "are integral to bringing people into the College Building, especially students". A future link over College Drive connecting the stadium parkade to the Kinesiology Building and then the Admin and College Buildings will allow even easier campus access, not only for students but also for visitors attending, for example, sporting events or performing arts events in Convocation Hall. Becker said the Board has asked the University to investigate the cost of that project. The remainder of the College Building ground floor will be taken up with office, work and storage space for the U of S art collection and the Museum of Antiquities, which is currently located in the Murray Building. Art gallery and museum display space will be located on the first floor near the grand Convocation Hall. Outside the main doors of the hall, the plans show a small space for displaying and storing the University's valuable Amati instruments. The second floor has been designated for University governance and administration, Becker said, although the final decisions on who will occupy that space will be made by the President's Executive Committee. The Board of Governors and the President will have space "for sure", he said, and the floor will "probably" also house the Vice-Presidents (Academic and Provost, Finance and Resources, and Research), some or all of their staff, and the University Secretariat. "I want to be very clear that this project is not just for palatial accommodation for University administration," he said. "There are back-fill benefits for both teaching and research" when occupants move in and free up space in other buildings. The timing of the Board's decision to proceed was opportune, Becker said, considering that the University used a $1.3-million advance on provincial government funding late last year to do technical assessment, preliminary design work and selective demolition within the building. The design is about 40 per cent complete, he said, and the demolition left the structure "cleaned out, in good shape and ready for the restoration. We were really pleased to get that done because we didn't want to lose any more time ... (and) we didn't want to continue to shore it up." Because of the building's heritage designation, renovations must maintain and preserve its unique features and characteristics, and Becker believes that can be done without great difficulty.
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