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May 1990 • UGA: An Independent Look • Page 13
down” respectively.
The building was constructed because of
overcrowding of athletic offices in the Coliseum. Butts-
Mehre contains training rooms, weight rooms,
dressing rooms and a sports heritage center, along
with athletic department and sports information
offices. The facility was planned and built with funds
solely provided by private sources.
One building plagued with problems is the
addition to the Georgia Center for Continuing
Education. The $6.6 million addition came in one year
over time, the longest overdue in the last 10 years,
prim airily because original cost estimates were too low.
The annex added 55 hotel rooms along with banquet,
conference, office and dining space.
Among projects being planned for the future, the
Student Physical Activities Center will take the most
money to complete. The SPACENTER has a projected
budget of $34 million, which would make it the most
expensive building on campus. It is to be located across
from the intramural fields and the four towers
building.
Two architectural firms were chosen in March; one
firm will do the design work and the other will draw
construction documents. Construction should be
completed in 1992. Numerous basketball, racquetball,
indoor track, aerobic and all-purpose rooms are
planned for the new facility, which will take the place
of Stegeman Hall as a student recreation center. One
aim of the facility is for students to be able to walk in
and use the facilities without having to wait.
From 1980 to 1989, more than $61 million has
been spent on campus construction. Almost half of
that has gone into the Biological Sciences Complex.
Building cost figures can be misleading because of
inflation, however. Lunde says, “In 1910, Conner Hall
was built for $100,000 but the renovation in 1975 cost
over $2.6 million.”
A master plan is currently being developed for the
River Road area for future campus expansion. Some
future buildings on campus will be located there and
some existing parking areas will have to be moved
elsewhere.
Other significant projects on campus include the
Lindsay Hopkins indoor tennis building, completed in
1980. The building contains four courts which allow
the Bulldogs to host indoor tennis tournaments.
The east stands of Sanford Stadium were
completed, making the stadium a horseshoe and
increasing the capacity to more than 82,000. Before
the east stands were completed students and visitors
used to sit on the railroad tracks to watch football
games.
The new baseball stadium at Foley Field, which
was dedicated on May 5,1990, increases the seating
capacity at baseball games to 3,200. The $3.5 million
stadium was delayed in construction because of bad
weather and will be fully complete by opening day next
year.
Mike Glennon is a former police reporter for The Red
and Black.
Research runs
out of room
By Lisa Gilmore
With all the scientific
research being
conducted at the
University, it's no
surprise that
overflowing laboratories
have run out of room to
house experiments.
"Limited space has
become a problem for
most departments,'" says
Daniel DerVartanian,
associate director of
biochemistry.
Two of the
University's biological
sciences, genetics and
biochemistry, are
anxiously awaiting the
completion of the $32
million Biological
Sciences Complex on
South Campus.
Construction started in
August 1987 and was
scheduled to be
completed in August
1989, David Lunde,
director of campus
planning, said.
However, the building
fell behind schedule
when workers ran into
rock underneath the
site, he said. Although
the building has one
floor of construction left,
the building will be
ready for use in
September, Lunde said.
The biochemistry
department needed a
new building because
the departments were
spread out into several
different buildings,
making research
difficult, according to
DerVartanian, a
professor of
biochemistry and
microbiology. "Limited
lab space hinders
research because you
can't apply for further
research grants."
The construction of a
pharmacy research
annex is currently
number four on
University President
Charles Knapp's list of
building projects, says
Flynn Warren, clinical
pharmacy associate. The
pharmacy department
was so in need of space
that two teaching labs
and a classroom were
converted to research
space. Twenty-five
percent of a third
teaching lab was
converted into research
space. Also, the ends of
the second and third
floor hallways were
enclosed to make offices,
conference rooms and a
student lounge."Right
now we've hit a space
limitation on what we
do," Warren says.
The 19-year-old
environmental health
science department not
only needs a building of
its own but more faculty
as well. The department
is currently housed in
the dairy science
building and has only
two faculty members to
handle over 100
environmental health
science majors, says
Oscar Pancorbo,
associate professor of
environmental
microbiology and
toxicology.
During fall quarter,
environmental health
science majors increased
dramatically because of
an article in The Red
Please See
SPACE, Page 14