DiNatale: College Dorm Re-vamp "Impressive" (10/14/09)
Posted 2009-10-14 22:20:16
Dormitory revamped, reopened
Sentinel & Enterprise
Posted: 10/14/2009 07:04:06 AM EDT
FITCHBURG -- Fitchburg State College and city officials celebrated the grand opening of a $19 million renovation of the Mara Village residence halls on the college's campus Tuesday morning.
FSC President Robert Antonucci said the college has made an attempt to house more students on campus by renovating almost all of the college's residence halls in the past six years.
"Going to college is more than just about classes, it's about the whole living experience," Antonucci said after Tuesday's ceremony. "This will help us offer top-of-the-line housing to our students."
Mara Village holds about 420 students, said Jay Bry, Chief Operating Officer for the college.
The new construction, completed in the past two years, connects each of the seven buildings that make up the village, and also includes a new, 40,000 square-foot 100-bed building for students.
The other seven buildings have also been renovated with new paint and furniture.
Also, the construction has created walking paths for students to have easy and well-lit access between the buildings that make up the village.
The new central residence hall also features all energy-efficient heating and cooling equipment, and allows students to monitor their energy-use by room to determine how conservative they are, Bry said.
Leominster developer Gregg Lisciotti, who's chairman of FSC's Board of Trustees, said the new construction only adds to the investments the college has made to beautify the campus during the past few years.
"We've had huge success in the past few years," he said.
Those improvement to the campus include a new entrance to Russell Towers and an expansion of about 50 beds; a new football field, a newly renovated dining hall and the remodeling of Aubuchon Hall.
The college completed the project in collaboration with the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, which helped provide financing, said Edward Adelman, executive director of the authority.
Money from the authority has helped renovate or construct more than 40 buildings at state colleges around Massachusetts, Adelman said.
"Buildings do not building themselves," he said during a press conference Tuesday morning.
Peter Alcock, vice chairman of the authority and former chair of the FSC Board of Trustees, said the Mara Village project was a "capstone" to all the other projects done on campus in the past few years.
State Rep. Stephen DiNatale said he was impressed by the work.
"This is a wonderful facility and it's going to help maintain us at the number one state college in the system," DiNatale said.
Mayor Lisa Wong said she's happy to see the state continue to make investments in education despite the difficult financial times.
Representative DiNatale (right) looks on as Fitchburg State College President Robert Antonucci speaks at the Mara Village grand opening.
[Back to News]
|
|
|
