NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@alpha.nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/9/2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES - As Northwestern State University prepares to begin the 2001-2002 academic year, three major construction projects are progressing.

The projects worth almost $18 million include a $5,020,000 renovation of Morrison Hall and the Family and Consumer Sciences Building, a $6.9 million renovation of the Intramural Building which will become the Wellness, Recreation and Activity Center and the $6 million construction of a fiberoptics network. Northwestern has a total of $31 million in projects either recently completed, in construction or on the drawing board, according to Loran Lindsey, director of the physical plant at NSU.

"We are anxiously looking forward to the start of construction on these projects which will have a major impact on the university," said NSU President Dr. Randall J. Webb. "These projects will give us three essentially modern buildings with the latest equipment and will help Northwestern continue to grow and attract outstanding students."

Work will soon begin on the renovation of Morrison Hall, the home of the Louisiana Scholars' College and the Family and Consumer Sciences Building. Contractors will start the project with hazardous materials abatement then begin a total renovation and modernization of both buildings. The renovation for both buildings is being bid as one project.

"We will take two 1950's buildings and bring them into the 21st century," said Lindsey. "Because both buildings are so close together and are similar buildings, we can get more for our money by doing the project this way."

The modernized Family and Consumer Sciences building will include technology-oriented classrooms, a student lounge, a merchandising lab and a small commercial kitchen with commercial equipment.

Morrison Hall will be improved with better entryways. Classrooms will be configured differently so that the students will be closer to the teachers. Also, the computer labs and the foreign language labs will be larger. Faculty suites will consist of bigger offices and will use space more efficiently.

The Department of Family and Consumer Science, College of Nursing's Natchitoches office and the Louisiana Scholars' College will move to South Hall which is located near Turpin Stadium while work is being done. South Hall was the temporary home of the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training while Lee H. Nelson Hall (the Women's Gym) was being renovated.

Lindsey said NSU has received a line of credit for the fiber optics network. During the last year, the university completed the first phase of the project which includes a new telephone system and a portion of the fiber optics backbone. This portion of the project cost just over $1 million. The next phase will include completing the backbone and installing internal wiring in major buildings on campus, Lindsey said.

Data transmission will be several times faster as outdated copper cables are replaced on campus. A fiber optic network will make it easier to transfer large data files needed to conduct classes or conferences over the network.

The Wellness, Recreation and Activity Center project should go out on bids late this year and construction should start by mid-year, according to Lindsey. The new building will almost double the size of the existing facility covering 82,000 square feet.

The renovated building will include two regulation-sized basketball courts, two regulation-sized racquetball courts, a multipurpose room, new locker rooms and offices. There will also be two weight rooms, one with free weights and one with circuit machines, as well as a cardiovascular theatre room, with six TV stations. A walking/jogging track will encircle the ground floor.

This year, the university also anticipates receiving $270,000 in planning money for the renovation of Williamson Hall which houses the Department of Industrial and Engineering Technology and the Department of Continuing Education. The renovation of Williamson Hall will begin once the Morrison Hall and Family and Consumer Science Building projects are completed.

Lindsey said Kyser Hall and the Health and Human Performance Building will receive new roofs within the next month.

During the past year, completed projects included the renovation of Nelson Hall, the completion of an 18-hole golf course at the Robert W. Wilson Recreation Complex, and the installation of a new chilling station. Elevators were also placed in the Friedman Student Union.

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