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Rendering of new dining hall. |
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Rendering of new residence halls. |
$120 million in projects launched to enhance campus life
University of Rhode Island officials unveiled projects totaling more than $120 million to build a new dining hall, new suite- and apartment-style undergraduate housing and 1,483 new parking spaces for students. The projects will be completed in the fall of 2006.
Officials launched the projects at a celebration of the last days of Hope Dining Hall in May.“In this place of nostalgia for many of our alumni, we embark on several projects that will combine the best elements of Hope with facilities that will serve a vital, growing campus,” said URI President Robert L. Carothers.
“When the University adds its new suite- and apartment-style housing, dining hall and parking facilities, the Kingston Campus landscape will change in dramatic ways. With these projects we will be creating a stronger and better community for URI students,” said Robert Weygand, vice president for administration.
The 800-bed, $68 million housing project is the largest construction effort in University history and is the first new undergraduate housing construction since 1970. Financing for the new residence hall project is coming exclusively from revenue bonds.
Chip Yensan, director of Housing and Residential Life, said the new housing construction “represents URI’s most ambitious pursuit of a more independent, on-campus living option for its students.”
There will be two apartment-style buildings to the north and west of Heathman Hall containing about 450 beds. These units will have five bedrooms with a common living room and full kitchen. A suite-style building containing about 350 beds will be built behind Browning Hall.
Several existing residence halls will also be renovated. The Little Four—Hutchinson, Peck, Merrow and Tucker—and three others, Heathman, Gorham and Fayerweather, will be completed in the 2007-2008 academic year at an estimated cost of $27 million. The majority of the funding is coming from $24 million in general obligation bonds approved by voters.
The new dining hall will replace Hope, the oldest and smallest of URI’s three dining halls. Built in 1957 and expanded in 1960, it has been a student favorite for its Hope Burgers, pizza, chicken wings, onion rings and ice cream. When completed, it will be the first new dining hall on campus in 45 years.
The 42,229-square-foot dining hall that will replace Hope and the Roger Williams Dining Hall will feature the latest in the college dining experience with food stations each with their own themes and culinary offerings.
While the new dining hall is being built, Roger Williams will remain in operation, but
will eventually be converted to a student activity center. Butterfield Dining Hall, which is part of the Freshman Village, will continue normal operations.
Financing for the new $22 million dining hall will come from $13.8 million in revenue bonds and $8.3 million from fund balances from the Dining Services operation.
The new facility will have 718 seats, compared to the current combined total of 615 in Hope and Roger Williams, and it will provide full meal service until 9:30 p.m. A café with an additional 115 seats will be a central element of the building and will be open until 2 a.m. each day. The café will be equipped with full wireless Internet access.
“We have designed this so that when trends change, we will be able to change with them,” said Kathleen Gianquitti, director of dining services.
The other major component of the enhancements is the construction of new parking lots at a total cost of $3 million. Financing for the parking enhancements is also coming from revenue bonds. The University will build 833 additional spaces at Plains Road diagonally across from the Ryan Center. Like the site’s first 800 spaces, the addition will feature a porous pavement and subsurface drainage and filter system to protect the aquifer.
Another 650 spaces will be built off of Flagg Road at the corner of Plains Road. Parking designations will also change to better match student usage, with the Dairy Barn lot becoming resident parking and the lot at the Fine Arts Center reverting to its former status as a commuter lot.
By Dave Lavallee
