Construction U.

This will be a year of building at Chico State University—literally. Students should be prepared for “loud volumes of noise” in the vicinity of the Meriam Library, as a recent campus e-mail put it.

That’s because two new, large facilities are going in along Second Street: a new Student Services center immediately south of the library at Second and Ivy and, just a block away at Second and Cherry, the long-anticipated Wildcat Activity Center.

The Student Services building will be one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design buildings in the CSU system. That means it’s a green project—an effort to make the campus more sustainable.

The Student Services facility is also the first project underway as part of Chico State’s 2005 Campus Master Plan. The long-term development master plan is set in a 15- to 20-year timeline and re-evaluates the campus’ needs while preserving its character.

Turner Construction has begun pile-driving, and an estimated 300 piles, 20 to 40 feet deep, will be positioned before construction comes to a standstill until March 2007. There’s a shortage of steel in the United Renderings show the new Student Services Center, and (below) Wildcat Activity Center.reation center with fitness equipment, a pool, gym and climbing wall among its amenities.

The project is also experiencing some setbacks.

“This site has been more challenging than the others,” Morse said. Asbestos had to be removed from the Stiles and Reynolds warehouses before receiving clearance for demolition.

Although demolition of the warehouses will begin within the next two weeks, the new facility will expand onto the other side of Orange Street, and the university has yet to finalize acquisition of that land from the city, Morse said. Once contracts are finalized, fencing will be placed from the warehouses at Second and Cherry, across Orange Street and to the railroad tracks on the west.

“This project has a lot of odds and ends,” Morse said.

Those aren’t the only modifications the campus has been working on. Several restrooms and drinking fountains have been remodeled, and ramps have been constructed to be in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines.

“Eight classrooms were converted to smart classrooms, and Laxson Auditorium was refurbished with new seats, new carpet and new stage flooring,” Morse said.

The summer was pretty busy with preparations for the fall semester, she said. “We are pretty proud of these accomplishments.”