Alumni Center Construction to Begin

From Jay Kahn, Maryann Lindberg and Frank Mazzola:

The Keene State College Alumni Center is moving from the drawing board to construction. Following a bidding process, the College awarded a construction contract to Eckman Construction Co. of Bedford, N.H. The construction costs are expected to be under $5 million, well within the budget approved by the USNH Trustees, and substantial completion is anticipated by next spring.

The new 21,000 square foot building (check out the architectural renderings) on Main Street across from Hale Building will house all departments in the Advancement Division: Development, Online Communications, College and Media Relations, and Alumni and Parent Relations. The Alumni Center function room will be used for award ceremonies, career fairs, continuing education classes, and other college functions.

In September of 2008, two houses on Main Street were razed as the College prepared the site for the new Alumni Center. Hazardous material abatement is nearly complete at the remaining wood frame building at 232 Main St., which was once used by the Newman Center. The front historical section of this house will be incorporated into the new Alumni Center. When the asbestos removal is complete (as soon as April 24), the site will be readied for the installation of steel piles that will support the new building. Construction will progress quickly through the summer and fall, and the building is scheduled to be complete by March 2010. Landscape and paving work occur in the spring of 2010, and the center is expected to be ready for the 2010 alumni reunion.

Thank you to the Advancement and Physical Plant staffs, USNH Capital Projects staff, and the architectural team led by Weller and Michal Architects of Keene for helping us get to this point.