The Board of Trustees has accepted $37.8 million as a bid from J. Kokolakis Construction Company to continue work on Polkinghorne. In September, trustees terminated Premier Construction Company because of an increase in the building contract. The company originally began the reconstruction of Polkinghorne Village.
Once Polkinghorne is completed, renovations of female residence halls Diamond and McGuinn will begin.
“The renovations of the residence halls here on campus are long overdue,” said Malasia Greer, a fourth-year pre-physical therapy student from Miami. “But it’s good that FAMU is taking the steps needed to enhance the beauty of the campus.”
Residence halls are not the only buildings that are being reconstructed.
Several buildings located on and off campus are also set to be remodeled or reconstructed, including the Student Affairs building, the College of Arts and Sciences teaching facility, the expansion of Perry Paige, Coleman Library, FAMU/FSU College of Engineering Phase III and the remodeling of Dyson Pharmacy.
“In addition to the main campus, the following branch campuses are also included in the Campus Master Plan,” said Shawn Kalbi, senior project manager of Wood + Partners Inc.
Also included in the reconstruction plan are the Quincy Farms campus west of Tallahassee and the Alatex Building on the FAMU Crestview campus.
According to the Campus Master Plan, both the main and branch campuses need improvements to their stormwater treatment systems. The overall effect will include positive visual impacts from landscaped ponds and improved surface water quality discharges from the campus.
“The Board of Trustees authorizes the interim president to negotiate an updated campus development agreement with the City of Tallahassee to begin work,” said Board of Trustees Chair Solomon Badger.
The Campus Master Plan and analysis documents are designed to enhance the beauty of the campus and determine the necessary facility requirements, building placement and proposed campus expansion to support the proposed student enrollment for the next 10 years.
“I think it’s a great thing that FAMU has a plan to enhance the beauty of our campus,” said Sharielle Johnson, a fourth-year computer information systems student from Tallahassee. “The campus definitely has some areas of improvements, especially the residence halls.”
University officials have projected that by the 2015-2016 school year, there will be 12,695 students enrolled, and 3,180 of those students will need accommodations. There are only 2,715 on-campus housing spaces, meaning the university is 460 beds short of its expected growth.