Western Illinois Looking Ahead to Capital Projects
Western Illinois University has a busy future ahead thanks to numerous capital development projects.
According to Assistant Vice President for Facilities Management Troy Rhoads, the University will be using approximately $19 million state funding, provided through the Capital Development Board, to implement much-needed maintenance and repairs to the existing facilities campuswide. In Stipes, Morgan, and Brown halls, piping replacement is underway for domestic and mechanical systems, at a cost of $2.5 million.
“When completed, this project will increase the reliability and the efficiency of the existing heating and cooling systems throughout each building, and cut down on annual maintenance costs,” Rhoads added.
Roofing replacement and masonry repairs, at a cost of nearly $6 million are taking place and/or have been completed at Currens, Knoblauch and Western halls, the Heating Plant Annex and Malpass Library. Ted Renner, deputy director of Facilities Management, noted these repairs are critical to ensure greater energy efficiency. Upcoming projects include electrical infrastructure upgrades, totaling $3.3 million, that will include replacing aging transformers and medium-voltage equipment in Sherman, Simpkins, Stipes, Brown and Thompson halls, with a tentative completion date set for Summer 2023. A central chiller loop project, at $7 million, will interconnect the air conditioning systems for the majority of the University buildings south of C.T. Vivian Way (Murray Street), which will increase the reliability of those systems, while maximizing energy efficiency, Renner added.
“We are greatly appreciative of the allocation of $19 million in capital funds to complete critical maintenance projects. However, we are most excited about an even larger project that is many years in the making: the new Center for Performing Arts (CPA), which we hope to begin construction in Spring or Summer 2022,” Rhoads added.
The new construction, slated at $89 million, will provide a 100,000-square-foot academic building with classrooms, offices, practice rooms and performance spaces. The 850-seat Proscenium Theatre will provide a state-of-the-art performance space for touring performances to be used year-round, while the smaller Black Box Theater will provide a more intimate space for campus productions.
The CPA, the first state-funded building for WIU since the mid-1970s, will allow the College of Fine Arts and Communication to consolidate into a centralized location and provide greater academic and performance opportunities. The building is scheduled to be completed in Fall 2024.
