For release: Jan. 11, 2013
MTSU Marketing and
Communications contact: Andrew Oppmann, 615-494-7800 (office), 615-339-8851
(cell) or Andrew.Oppmann@mtsu.edu
MTSU News and Media
Relations contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-5616 or Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu
Turner Construction
Co. contact: Kevin N. Overton (senior project manager)
256-461-6700 (office), 256-990-2881 (mobile) or koverton@tcco.org
MURFREESBORO — With
city and state lawmakers and others on hand, Turner Construction Co. celebrated
a milestone Friday with the $147-million MTSU Science Building by conducting a “topping
out” ceremony.
A signed beam with MTSU and Turner logos on opposite ends
was set by Turner team members atop the facility, which is 30-percent complete
and scheduled to open in early 2015 with a projected 250,000-plus gross square
feet of space.
State Sens. Bill Ketron and Jim Tracy, and state Reps. Joe
Carr, Mike Sparks, and Dawn White attended. Ketron, Carr and White are MTSU
alumni. Alumnus John Hood, a staunch backer and Science Building ally while
serving in the state House of Representatives, also attended. Hood serves as
MTSU’s director of governmental and community affairs.
“Just look how
much work has been done in such a short period of time,” MTSU President Sidney
A. McPhee said. “Today, as the last piece of steel is placed
on the highest point of this structure, we move closer to our goal of having
this facility ready for students by the spring of 2015.
“Once completed,
this sorely-needed structure will give our university a world-class teaching
and research facility that will be not only the best in the state of Tennessee, but also in the top tier among universities across the
nation,” McPhee added. “It will demonstrate our commitment to providing
more science and technology graduates to bolster the economy of our region and
state.”
McPhee offered
praise to Turner Construction Co. “on their achievements, which we can all see
for ourselves today.”
“We are proud to
be a part of the team and we look forward to a successful project — and many
more — with MTSU,” Turner senior project manager Kevin Overton said.
Steve Kazay,
Turner project executive, said the project is a total embodiment of a team
effort.
“The team on the
project — MTSU, TBR, the design team, Turner and our subcontractors — all are
working incredibly well together,” Kazay said. “How those teams came together
has been exceptional.”
John Gromos,
Turner vice president and general manager, also shared remarks, which included
the announcement of three, $2,000 scholarships to be awarded per semester to a
science student, a building science or concrete industry student and one at the
discretion of McPhee.
Gromos noted that
15 MTSU alumni work at Turner, with plans to hire two more, and that student
interns from the university’s Concrete Industry Management program are
assisting Turner staff on the science building project.
Dodging rain showers in the spring-like 68-degree
temperature, more than 300 people attended the ceremony near the project site
on the south side of campus.
Also attending were joint venture designers Thomas Miller & Partners
LLC/Hastings Architecture Associates and MTSU’s first-year trio of Drs. Bud
Fischer, dean of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences; Lynn Boyd and Greg
Van Patten, respective chairs of the biology and chemistry departments.
MTSU broke ground on the facility May 3. As of Jan. 9, the project
includes 62,000 work hours, 2,950 cubic
yards of concrete, 200,000 square feet of decking and 1,750 tons of steel. Gromos
said the work hours include zero lost time accidents. (For “Watch the new
Science Building grow!” updates, visit http://mtsunews.com/sciencebuilding/construction-updates/.)
“We’ve had great achievements to this point, but we have a long way to
go,” Gromos said. “This is a hugely important project. Our challenge is to keep
our focus and our construction team safe. We want to make sure we finish
strong.”
MTSU’s
enrollment has almost quadrupled in the last 45 years — from 6,779 students in
1968 to a record 26,442 in fall 2011 — with no increase in space for science
education. The university’s existing Wiser-Patten Science Hall and Davis
Science Building were built in 1932 and 1967, respectively, and have a combined
total of only 75,332 net square feet.
The $147 million project
approved by the Tennessee General Assembly includes $18.75 million to be raised
by the university through community donations (individuals, corporations and
local government), student fees and other university sources.
Nearly
$20 million was spent to prepare for construction of the Science Building. That
money provided for a new campus chilling plant, distribution lines, planning,
site preparation and demolitions of old residence halls.
Gov.
Bill Haslam’s 2012-13 state budget included almost $127 million for
construction of the Science Building. Both the state House and Senate approved
the spending plan, which the governor then signed into law.
About Turner Universal
Turner Universal is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Turner Construction Co., the leading general builder in the
U.S. Turner Universal has maintained a permanent office in Middle Tennessee for
several decades and is responsible for Turner’s operations in Tennessee, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana. Turner Universal provides its clients with
specialized knowledge of the construction business in the Southeast combined
with the nationwide resources and experience of Turner.
In 2012, Engineering News
Record ranked Turner as the nation’s No. 1 builder in the education,
healthcare, correctional facilities and pharmaceutical market segments as well
as the nation’s No. 1 green builder.
About MTSU
Founded
in 1911 as one of three state normal schools for teacher training, MTSU is now
the oldest and largest public university in Middle Tennessee. With an
enrollment of more than 25,000 students, MTSU is the largest undergraduate
university in Tennessee. MTSU remains committed to providing individualized
service in an exciting and nurturing atmosphere where student success is the
top priority. With a wide variety of nationally recognized academic degree
programs at the baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels, MTSU takes pride
in educating the best and the brightest students from Tennessee and around the
world.
###
Note: Video will be
available later today. Visit mtsunews.com
to link to the video.
McPhee applauds.jpg
photo caption
MTSU President Dr.
Sidney A. McPhee applauds as the final beam of steel is raised into place at
the Science Building construction site on Friday. (MTSU photo by Andy
Heidt/Creative and Visual Services)
Tracy, McPhee and
Gromos.jpg photo caption
State Sen. Jim Tracy,
R-Shelbyville, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and Turner Construction Co. vice
president and general manager John Gromos discuss the topping out celebration
Friday for the new Science Building at MTSU. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt/Creative
and Visual Services)
MTSU is committed to developing a
community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear,
and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them: “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For
MTSU news any time, visit www.MTSUNews.com.
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment