Building boom
2008 sees more construction work
Joanna Bhaskaran, staff
Last year was a big year for construction on campus in terms of infrastructure developments, worth around $74 million, with at least 1,000 new construction-related jobs being created.
While some campus projects continue to trudge towards completion, some were finished in 2007, like the Elizabeth Dafoe Library getting its promised facelift and new archives section and the completion of the Engineering and Information Technology complex.
The new Aboriginal Students’ Centre, a project that was originally scheduled to be completed in February of this year, has been pushed back to later on in the spring.
Kali Storm, director of the Aboriginal Students’ Centre, explained that some of the delays have been unavoidable but it will be well worth it, once they’ve moved into the new centre.
“There weren’t any major setbacks or problems that pushed the date back but rather ordinary construction delays which pushed the date back,” she said. “The construction of the new centre will allow us to have something visible for the first time, not just for the aboriginal students but for others as well.”
The Aboriginal Student Centre is being constructed west of the Education Building and will provide a space for students that will be culturally appropriate and contributive to their academic success.
At the January university senate meeting, Alan Simms, associate vice-president of administration, provided more updates on the development of the Aboriginal Student Centre project.
Some of the delays included a small fire which broke out over the winter break because of a propane heater which overturned on the north corner of the building and ignited the warding.
“There wasn’t significant damage and this hasn’t affected the schedule of the building, which is due for late spring occupancy,” he promised.
Simms also briefed the Manitoban on the construction of a new $1.5-million staircase, a west pedestrian way to be built outside the Frank Kennedy Centre.
“There’s a parapet that blocks pedestrian and visual access into the campus from University Crescent and Chancellor Matheson, and the intention is to dismantle that parapet and create a stairway and rooftop access into the Extended Education Complex.”
Construction on the stairwell project is due to begin this spring.
At St. John’s College, the building of the new Robert B. Schulz Lecture Theatre is underway and slated to be completed in spring of this year. Representatives from the college couldn’t be reached for comment on the project.
As reported in the Manitoban earlier this year, a new $12.5-million indoor soccer complex is due to begin construction later this year and more construction work looks forthcoming as 13 university buildings.
Progressive Conservative MLA, Myrna Driedger, discovered that the University of Manitoba has infrastructure deficit of $211 million. How this money is going to be raised and when the university is going to address its’ infrastructure deficit is the question. But until then, work continues as they race against the clock to complete all the projects on schedule.
