CCU’s construction roundup for the fall semester
Coastal Carolina University saw plenty of action on the construction front this summer. Here are some of the projects completed this summer or are still in the works around campus.
• A dedication and special celebration was held for the new Kenneth E. Swain Science Hall on Aug. 23. The state-of-the-art science annex houses the university’s health sciences along with enhanced biology classrooms and labs for biological and biochemistry research.
• A 5,600-square-foot Public Safety Building will be open and operational in September. The building will house offices, locker rooms, an interview room, a break area, a secure evidence room, a training room and a communications center with monitors for more than 500 security cameras.
• The new facility for Horry County School District’s Scholars Academy is estimated to be finished in time for the 2014 spring semester. The 10,000-square-foot building is intended for Horry County high school students to take college level classes for credit.
• To enhance public safety, all the locks on classroom doors were replaced to make them lockable from the inside without a key in case of emergency.
• New carpet was installed in Kimbel Library and modifications were made to the circulation counter for easier access.
• A new traffic light on S.C. 544 at Founders Drive has been installed and is operational. The S.C. Department of Transportation installed the light based on its vehicular and pedestrian counts and CCU’s projections for future growth in the area.
• The roofing project on Williams-Brice Recreation Center is nearing completion. New lockers and vanity tops were installed in the men’s and women’s locker rooms.
* University Housing is in the process of installing mounted cameras around the premises.
• Blanton Park is preparing to install sidewalk and landscape lighting this fall.
• Work on the new softball and baseball facilities moves ahead. In the softball facility, these upgrades include a new clubhouse, locker rooms, renovations to the home dugout and a hitting/pitching tunnel. The softball project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
• Over at the baseball complex, work continues on the new stadium with its ability to seat 2,500 fans. Full-service concessions are planned for the stadium along with a novelty sales area, a clubhouse/locker room, a premium suite area and a press box/media workspace for radio and television broadcast. The project is slated to be finished in March 2014.
• A Starbucks coffee shop will call Kimbel Library home in November, replacing Java City.
• Two new parking lots were installed on campus. A new parking area has emerged between Student Health Services and Lackey Chapel. It includes 501 spaces, access drives, walkways, fresh landscaping and lighting. The second parking project will renovate the Health Services parking lot to upgrade 16 parking spaces and add 38 additional spaces; this lot should be finished in September.
• Construction documents have been prepared for the new 12-court tennis complex. The complex will include coaching offices, locker rooms, concessions, restrooms, equipment storage, scoreboards, a seating area, a press box and a public-announcement system.
• There is also a new recreational and athletic field under design for construction in the field adjacent to the new tennis complex.
• A retention pond is in the works on the corner of Chanticleer and Founders Drive, in front of the HTC Center. This ongoing project will retain storm water, which will be significant for the new student housing construction in that area. The pond will have a water feature and be fully landscaped.
• Design is complete for Atheneum Hall renovations. Construction is estimated to begin in October. These improvements will include new offices and meeting space for alumni association staff. There is also a large meeting room and pre-function area along with a dining room/board meeting room. The project is estimated to be done in August of 2014.
• Site work has begun for a major student housing project. Construction will take place in a three-year, multiphase program that includes the design of 1,270-bed student residence facility for first-year students. The residence halls are planned to be traditional suites with lots of contemporary amenities. An additional office building for the university housing administration is also in the works. The first two buildings should be constructed and available by fall 2015. The final two buildings are planned for openings in fall 2016.
