The Daily Bulletin Archive

Rubble, orange cones, and bulldozers have been quite visible at Buffalo State in recent months, and there’s plenty more to come. Here’s an overview of progress on current and future construction projects at Buffalo State:

Phase II reconstruction of the Campbell Student Union will be officially unveiled tomorrow. The new resident-student dining facility seats 400 students and provides a more controlled entry and exit. The architecture complements the stunning look of the newly openedRetail Dining Center, and the space includes two rooms that may be reserved for group meetings.

“The dining hall is a ‘marché’ style, which means the food is prepared in front of the customer,” said Timothy Ecklund, associate vice president for campus life. “There’s a pizza oven, international area with stir fry, grill, salad bar, dessert area, and more. Nonresidents also may come for lunch and dinner.”

Coyer Field now sports a newly resurfaced playing field. The more than $1 million project included the construction of a new fence and provides better turf for football, soccer, and lacrosse.

The Burchfield Penney Art Center, the first freestanding museum to be built in Buffalo in more than 100 years, continues on course for its November grand opening to the public. The spacious interior will double gallery exhibition areas and provide more than six times as much space for education and public programs. An official dedication of the museum takes place with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 5.

Other completed projects on campus include a refurbished parking lot near Ketchum Hall, new concrete sections in the Student Union Quad, new piping and wiring under Iroquois Drive in conjunction with the installation of a new electrical substation, and extensive renovations to Cleveland Hall, including asbestos abatement, refurbished elevators, and the remodeling of conference room 418.

With the recent securing of $93 million from New York State for the new science and math complex, construction should commence sometime in summer 2009. The building will include a 50,000-square-foot addition, upgraded labs, a glass atrium, and a new planetarium.

Slated for construction in early 2010 is the newtechnology center, which will house seven technology-based programs of study under one roof and allow greater sharing of resources. The building will be locatedwhere Central Receiving and Building 46 currently stand; the building design is not yet finalized.

Buffalo State is continuing to work with two national engineering firms to study the location, features, environmental effects, and budget for a new outdoorathletics stadium. Talks are progressing with the City of Buffalo for the college to purchase the impound lot on Grant Street.

According to Stan Medinac, associate vice president for facilities planning, the State University Construction Fund will provide a consultant this fall to begin work on a new master plan for the campus. The “desperately needed” plan—the first in more than a decade—should take one to two years to complete.

Two additional major campus projects are slated to begin next summer: possible construction of a new residence hall on Grant Street that could house a minimum of 200 residents (a feasibility study is under way), and extensive renovation of the Student Union Quad, including pavement and landscaping.

“The quad will have an entirely different look when it’s complete,” said Medinac. “You won’t recognize it.”

The Bulletin will continue to provide campus construction updates throughout the academic year.