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With its own high expectations and pressures ever-present, the U of S has embarked on a significant capital program that will revitalize the campus in the next decade. A $43 million Thorvaldson capital project is underway; $33 million will be devoted to a new Kinesiology Building and there is reason for optimism in the campaign to restore the College Building.
Last spring the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) released details of a survey that revealed a critical deterioration of buildings on Canadian university campuses. The tab to repair these facilities, CAUBO determined, would be in the range of $3.6 billion. Unless these renovations are undertaken, the ability of universities to effectively carry out their teaching and research roles will be severely jeopardized. The University of Saskatchewan has what CAUBO refers to as a deferred maintenance tab of $108 million. Obvious concerns, such as the crumbling, 88-year-old College Building and woefully inadequate accommodations for students and faculty in many colleges have been well documented. In addition, there are many other challenges that need to be addressed in the short-term.
The dramatic appearance of new or expanded, world-class facilities in the College of Agriculture, the College of Commerce and the College of Engineering has alleviated some of the pressure in certain areas but the daunting task of securing the capital to fund essential projects continues to dog the University of Saskatchewan.
Paul Becker, Associate Vice-President of Facilities Management,a recent arrival from the University of British Columbia,is determined to make his division a model of sustainable facilities management.
Becker has written his own mission statement, pledging to place a community focus on everything that flows through the Facilities Management department. His approach meshes well with the University’s long-stated commitment to the community as a whole. “The University of Saskatchewan belongs to the people of Saskatchewan”is the first sentence of the University’s mission statement. It is also a touchstone for academic and financial decision-making at the U of S.
Over the past year, the University of Saskatchewan campus has been the scene of several highly visible construction projects. A similar number of projects are on the drawing board or moving to the tendering stage. Other notable additions have been completed or are virtually complete, including the sixth floor addition to the Agriculture Building and the PCS Centre at the College of Commerce.
Projects underway include:
The upward expansion of the Agriculture Building, specifically a sixth floor addition, is virtually complete. During the summer of 2000, the Animal and Poultry Science department moved into the Agriculture Building from the Animal Science Building and other occupants soon followed.
Total cost of the addition was about $10.5 million. Money for the addition to the Agriculture Building came primarily from a fund that was established to hold donations to the original College of Agriculture fund, with $1.3 million coming from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The additional space accommodates Food Science and Bioinsecticide Research, which had been located in the Toxicology Centre.
In the 1998-99 provincial budget, the Government of Saskatchewan committed an incremental $35 million to two major capital projects at the University of Saskatchewan.
These projects – one already underway, the other poised to go to tender – will greatly enhance the academic landscape and add significantly to the university’s athletic amenities.
Work on the Thorvaldson project has commenced, starting with a walkway link to the Arts building and a chemical/storage area and loading dock. The major component of the $43 million project, a four-storey, $16 million addition to the Thorvaldson Building, will be tendered next spring. The addition will be named in honour of the late J.W.T. Spinks, U of S president from 1959 to 1974. The basement level of the Spinks addition will be home to the $6 million Structural Sciences Centre, a facility that will have a close relationship with the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.
Another exciting aspect of the Thorvaldson project involves the Engineering Building, with Chemical Engineering relocating from Thorvaldson to a new $14 million pilot plant addition to the C Wing of Engineering.
Also going to the tendering stage in the spring of 2001 is the $33 million Kinesiology Building. Occupying space between the Gymnasium and the Administration Building, the new building will contain a triple-gym facility, a state -of-the-art fitness centre, a high-ceilinged galleria and a climbing wall.
A critical shortage of space in the College of Commerce has been alleviated by the construction of the PCS Centre — a two-storey addition.
Boasting a 175-seat lecture theatre and six case-study rooms ranging in size from 45 seats to 75 seats, the PCS Centre was built on the strength of a $5 million contribution from the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan. With the new building in operation, the College of Commerce is now making plans to renovate its existing building.
College Building renovations in the works Plans are in the works to renovate an aging campus dowager — the University of Saskatchewan’s most historic building. The 88-year-old College Building has been closed since November of 1997 due to its advanced state of disrepair. The university is working hard with the federal and provincial governments to secure funds for the restoration of this piece of Saskatchewan’s history. Estimated cost for the extensive work is $20 million. The College Building has been designated a heritage building by the province and the U of S is in the process of making a request for federal heritage designation. Funding for the renovations could come from the federal government’s Federal Infrastructure Program and the province’s Centenary Capital Fund — new money that would not affect other capital projects.
A generous proposal from the Ursuline Sisters, a religious order which traces its roots back to Germany, led to the U of S leasing the Ursuline Centre in Bruno for $1 per year for a four and a half year term. The university will be seeking tenants for the Centre. It has an option to buy the complex for $1 at any time prior to the expiration of the lease.
Structurally sound and well-maintained, the 60,000 square foot complex 80 km east of Saskatoon has considerable potential as a retreat and conference centre. Situated as it is in a remote location surrounded by gardens, treed areas, walking paths, a marsh and organic agricultural land, the facility boasts meeting rooms, a full-sized gymnasium, office space, library, chapel, greenhouse and other amenities.
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