Hardhats, students have campus abuzz

While the campus is alive with the return of students, the university also is a hive of construction activity.

Along Lee Boulevard that leads through the heart of campus, construction teams are hard at work on the exterior and front offices of the 50-year-old Roberts Laundry and the roof of the YMCA Building, which was built in 1914. And just off nearby Barr Avenue, efforts have begun to renovate Garner Residence Hall into new offices for the registrar and for student financial aid.

In addition, a large portion of the parking area on the east side of Humphrey Coliseum is fenced off as heavy equipment begins moving earth for the $19 million Joe Frank Sanderson Center. To be completed in 1998, the nearly 150,000-square-foot student recreation complex will join the 20-year-old coliseum and the newly dedicated Bryan Athletic Administration Building in dominating the skyline along the north side of campus that parallels U.S. Highway 82.

Even as this work is under way, the College Board on Thursday approved architectural design documents and bid proposals for nearly $12 million in future construction for the Starkville campus. Among these projects are the:

Perry Cafeteria renovation, $2.7 million,

Hand Chemical Laboratory renovation, $6.3 million, Outdoor Intramural Complex construction, $2.7 million, and

McArthur Hall's $118,000 first-phase renovation.

McArthur, the former athletic residence hall, will be converted into much needed office space. The facility became available due to NCAA regulations that now require student athletes to be assimilated into the general student population.