Purdue News
Purdue News
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September 19, 2003 Trustees advance tennis complex, Calumet garage projectsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University Board of Trustees today (Friday, 9/19) gave final approval for construction of a $7.2 million tennis complex, pending completion of fund raising for the project.
"We are excited by the promise of this new facility, which will more than double space for Purdue men's and women's tennis teams, but we will not seek bids for construction until all the funds have been raised," said athletic director Morgan Burke. "I am very grateful to Dennis Schwartz for his generous gift for this facility, and I'm counting on the other Purdue tennis fans to follow through with the additional $3 million we need to provide our fine athletes with a facility to rival any in the Big Ten or our peer institutions. "The 64,000-square-foot facility will serve as a physical celebration of tennis at Purdue and function as a valuable recruiting tool." The trustees also approved utilities work for a new computer science building and the hiring of an architect to design the first parking garage at the Calumet campus. The Dennis J. and Mary Lou Schwartz Tennis Center will include six indoor courts and six outdoor courts at the site of the current courts, west of the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. A 1,000-seat spectator area and concourse will overlook the indoor courts. Permanent outdoor seating also will be built on the concourse for watching matches on the existing varsity courts, which will be renovated as part of the new facility. Other features include a hall of fame to showcase the history of Purdue tennis. A pro shop, administrative offices and a concession area also will be built in addition to team locker rooms, lounges and athletic trainer facilities. Detailed engineering and architectural work for the center has been finished Dennis Schwartz, a retired banking executive from Mishawaka, Ind., donated $3 million for the center in the memory of his late wife, Mary Lou. Trustees voted to hire Applied Engineering Services of Indianapolis to design the extension of utilities to the future site of a new computer science building, to be located at the corner of Third and University streets. The $2.8 million project will extend telecommunications cable, steam heat, water supply, electrical systems, and storm and sanitary sewers. "Because the future site of the computer science building is in an area outside the historical boundaries of campus, the existing infrastructure has to be extended several hundred feet before any construction can be done," said Kenneth P. Burns, Purdue executive vice president and treasurer.
The 60,000-square-foot building will consolidate the computer science department in one location. Currently, the department is scattered in five different buildings. The new facility will provide classrooms, instructional and research laboratories, breakout rooms for student organizations and student projects, and assorted meeting rooms and offices. Construction of the utility extension is slated for completion in July, with construction of the building to be done in 2006. The existing computer science building, the renovated Memorial Gymnasium, will continue to house a portion of the department's activities until the new building is complete. Susanne Hambrusch, computer science department head, said, "This new facility will completely change the way the department works. Being able to have all of our faculty and staff working in two centralized locations will be invaluable to teaching and collaboration." Trustees also voted to hire Carl Walker Inc. of Indianapolis for architectural and engineering services to build a 1,000-car parking garage on the Calumet campus. The $11.5 million facility, to be located near 169th Street, will be paid for through a bond issue. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer. Burns said that due to campus geographic restrictions, the construction of parking garages are necessary for Calumet's continued growth. "As the regional campuses continue to grow, it is important to give them the tools they need for that growth," Burns said. "This parking garage, and one that has been approved at the Fort Wayne campus, will allow Purdue University to better serve its students throughout the state." In other business, the board voted to approve: • A nearly $8 million project to update Earhart Residence Hall. The project, which will be done in phases from 2004 to 2006, will include renovating ceilings in the living spaces, installing air conditioning and fire sprinkler systems in student rooms and constructing walk-in closets in student rooms. The money will come from the residence hall facilities contingency repair and replacement fund. • The hiring of Schenkel Shultz Architecture of Fort Wayne, Ind., as architect for the planned music complex at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. The 107,000-square-foot building, which will be located near the campus' theater and visual arts complexes, also will house the school's music program, as well as include space for art galleries, classrooms and other facilities. The $25 million facility also will include space for community arts organizations. • Site work for the Dick and Sandy Dauch Alumni Center. Work for the building, already under construction and expected to be completed early next year, includes patio development, sidewalks and parking spaces. The $16 million center, paid for with gift funds, will include offices for the Purdue Alumni Association and the university's advancement arm. Intended as a campus gathering place for visiting alumni, the center also will house the Spurgeon Hall of Spirit, with displays highlighting achievements of the university and its alumni. • The hiring of Superior Engineering, of Hammond, Ind., to extend utilities from the area west of Intramural Drive to the site of Discovery Park, and the approval for site development for the portion of Discovery Park surrounding the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and the Bindley Bioscience Center. The two projects will cost a combined $6.5 million and will be paid for with a combination of gift funds and money from the Discovery Park Development Fund. Discovery Park is an interdisciplinary teaching and research complex. In addition to entrepreneurship and bioscience centers the park will include the Birck Nanotechnology Center, an e-enterprise center and the Discovery Learning Center. Construction of the park is under way. Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu Sources: Kenneth P. Burns, (765) 494-9705, kpburns@purdue.edu Morgan J. Burke, (765) 494-3189, mjb@purdue.edu Susanne E. Hambrusch, (765) 494-1831, Susanne.e.hambrusch.1@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site:
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