Construction Update: December 22, 2011

MOVING FORWARD

It’s a go! Two more construction projects got the green light at this month’s Board of Trustees meeting:

Fort Atkinson
The campus will see a 7,300 square foot expansion plus a major renovation of existing space. The board approved new bids with the project tallying around $1.8 million. Highlights include a spacious Advanced Manufacturing Lab, Student Achievement Center, new library, a new entrance to the building and a rain garden. This is a LEED ‘green’ feature that allows rain run-off from the roof to feed a campus garden planted with native species. Construction at Fort will begin next week with completion anticipated next July.

Watertown
The board also okayed the $2.1 million expansion and renovation at Watertown campus. This project includes construction of much-anticipated new science labs. Creating two dedicated science classrooms will alleviate Watertown’s reliance on holding science courses at the local high school due to a shortage of space. The project includes an 8000 square foot expansion that will also house an Active Learning Classroom, a traditional classroom, and Student Achievement Center. Work at Watertown will begin mid-March and wrap up in August.
 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Health Education Center
Visible progress occurs daily! Three stair tower concrete walls are completed and all the concrete foundation work should be finished by the end of this week. Steel work just started the first of December and already a 3rd floor steel deck is framed in one quarter of the building. Next up — metal floor decks are being installed and then concrete flooring will be poured before the New Year.

Protective Services
Crews have set up a mortar silo at the site to mix the mortar for the masonry work at Protective Services. The focus is on pouring concrete footings now that the geopiers foundation work is finished. Underground utilities work just got started at the site this week.

Gateway/Ingenuity Center
If you’ve been to Truax recently then you’ve seen it - the massive tower crane hovering over the campus. It just took 2 days to assemble the t-shaped crane that stands 13-stories tall. Did you notice the Madison College flag flying in the wind at the tip top of the tower? Besides the crane, demolition is the name of the game at Gateway/Ingenuity. The front of the west façade and a stair tower will be bulldozed along with the west court storage building that was knocked down a week ago.

Reedsburg
Steel will be delivered to the Reedsburg campus this week in preparation for the addition going up there. So far a concrete slab was poured for the new Science Prep room and the foundation work for the north addition is complete.
 

PENDING

Portage Campus
The project is being rebid because the first bids for the expansion were over budget. The new bids will go to the board for consideration in Board approval in January.

Downtown Madison Campus
What’s the future of DTEC? That’s the focus of a special Board meeting scheduled January 25. The Board will review results of a feasibility study looking at possible redevelopment options of the downtown campus.
 

BUSY BUSES

Shuttles
Student Life is hearing positive comments about the shuttle buses running from the main entrance to the parking lots. Run-time schedules have been tweaked based on student feedback. And now that the temperature’s dropping and snow is surely coming soon, look for the shuttles to get even busier.