The Talon Vol. 3 Issue 1 - Spring 2008 - Coppin State University ...

icks & mortorHHSB On Target for 2008 Completion DatePatel Applauds Campus Cooperation, Seeks MoreBy Dr. E. Lee LassiterThe campus community is smiling big time atCoppin State University these days and for goodreason. A construction project located south ofNorth Avenue is more than 60% complete, onschedule, and moving right along.The project is the $73 million Health and HumanServices Building (HHSB), the 160,000 squarefoot facility that has been a bee-hive of activitysince ground-breaking ceremonies were conductedin 2006. It is a pivotal one as the university movesaggressively to expand physically and grow academically,“If the weather continues to cooperate, we expectto meet our fall 2008 completion timetable,” said Dr.Maqbool Patel, Coppin’s Associate Vice President ofCapital Planning, Construction, and Contracts.Next Step Nears for $136 Million PEC ProjectBy Dr. E. Lee LassiterCoppin State University (CSU) in partnershipwith the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA)hosted the official Ribbon-Cutting and GroundBreaking Ceremony for the new Physical EducationComplex (PEC) Project on Wednesday, October24, 2007. The event was hosted on the existing tenniscourts adjacent to the Francis Murphy ResearchBuilding. Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brownwas among the distinguished guests who attendedthe historic event.“The initial phase, which was abatement atthe former Northwest Business Center has beencompleted, and demolition work is in progress,”said Dr. Maqbool Patel, Associate Vice Presidentfor Capital Planning, Construction, and Contractsat CSU. “This ribbon-cutting and ground breakingceremony marks the beginning of the CoppinState University Physical Education Complex siteconstruction.”Colorful groundbreaking and ribbon-cuttingThe HHSB will play a key role as the University’s$250 million renovation and expansion plancontinues to unfold. Located on newly-acquiredproperty “across the street” from Coppin’s currentmain campus, the new building marks a major stepin the development of a long-envisioned “South”campus.The academic impact of the HHSB will besignificant also. The facility will house the HeleneFuld School of Nursing (which has some programscurrently at an off-campus site) and provide space– classrooms, laboratories, offices, clinical servicesand public service workspace – for a variety ofacademic departments: Applied Psychology andRehabilitation Counseling; Criminal Justice, SocialSciences, and Social Work. HHSB will also houseceremonies have sparked an air of excitement oncampus in recent years. The fetes have attractedcivic, community, educational and political leadersto the campus as the 108-year-old university undergoesa major physical makeover.“We are so pleased that our capital improvementefforts are progressing as planned and keepingpace with our strides toward academic excellence,”said Dr. Sadie R. Gregory, Coppin’s Provost/VicePresident for Academic Affairs. “We look forwardto the participation of city and state officials andthe community at-large when the PEC project isofficially launched.”Planning and design for the 246,000 squarefoot complex has been underway since September2005 when Coppin and the Maryland Stadium Authoritysigned a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU). The architectural and engineering firmshandling the joint venture are Baltimore-basedCS&D and Sasaki of Boston, MA.the Early Childhood Demonstration Suite andservice the space needs of community outreach andclinical programs.“As part of the HHSB project,” Dr. Patel said,“a foot bridge extending over North Avenue hasbeen erected to connect the North and SouthCampuses.” The bridge was set in place last winter.Eventually, it will be connected to the HHSB anda parking garage to be built next to the Grace HillJacobs (OCL) Building on the North Campus.Dr. Patel credited “campus cooperation andsupport” in part for the progress of current capitalimprovement projects. “We will need more of thesame in the days ahead,” he said. “We strongly appealto everyone to be as patient and understandingas possible.”For the most part, the complex will be locatedon the “Northwest Business Property,” Coppinacquired recently near the Warwick Avenue andGwynns Falls Parkway intersection (across from theMondawmin Mall). Some portions of the complexwill be developed on existing campus sites.Besides a sports arena, the project includesconstruction of a satellite utilities plant, a FacilitiesManagement/Public Safety Building, parking lots,a multi-purpose field (softball, tennis), and a 400-meter outdoor track.The three-building PEC project that will expandthe 52-acre campus by approximately one-thirdis due for occupancy in Fall 2009. It will house a4,100-seat basketball arena, an indoor NCAA regulationpool with spectator seating, a fitness center,an auxiliary gymnasium, dance studios, multipurposespace, racquetball courts, and “smart”classrooms.PHOTO | ANDREW BREZINSKI10Dr. Sadie R. Gregory, Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, Maryland Stadium Authorityofficials, along with Coppin and contracting personnel, shovel signifying scoops ofdirt at the PEC Groundbreaking Ceremony held in October 2007.Dr. Maqbool Patel displays a rendering by CSD (Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet,Inc.) and Sasaki of the proposed plan for Coppin’s new Physical Education Complexexpected to be completed in Fall 2009.