MSU Development

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  • edited January 2012
    I do know that, but what I was saying is that it will be the only thing even remotely comparable to the LHC in terms of the researche of physics. Simply upgrading the the almost obsolete cyclotron or Fermi Lab really is no longer an option if we want to keep up with even the particular fields we are still studying.
  • edited January 2012
    The State News has recently put out a handful of articles relating to campus developments that have recently been approved by the Board of Trustees.

    Site prep and excavations have been approved by the Board for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) project. The University has approved $20 million for this phase of the project, and construction is slated to begin in May. This article makes mention that the Federal funding for the project has come into question recently, and simply points to that older article for further details.

    The main article touches on developments with the FRIB, but also renovations to the Union, Spartan Stadium, and the former State Police HQ. It contains photos of the proposed changes to the Union, noting that a new Biggby and Post Office will be included. The budget of the project is $2.4 million, and has a expected completion date of August.

    Spartan Stadium is having new scoreboards installed on both ends of the Stadium, one huge one on the North end and two smaller on the South end, with a partial LED video ring on the South end as well. The Stadium upgrades will cost about $8 million, and should be done before the beginning of the 2012 season.

    The University is also planning on demolishing the old State Police Headquarters for an estimated $3.1 million, with $1.25 million being contributed by the State. Just speculation, but I would imagine asbestos issues have played a part in the large cost of the demolition and could complicate the process.
  • edited January 2012
    The loss of the old State Police Headquarters administration building seems such a waste, particularly considering so much of the site is already empty or used for parking. The administration building would make an awesome space for a tech company like the old elementary schools have in Lansing.

    Glad to see the university going forward on FRIB. If they start digging, it'll be hard to turn the project back, and then even if they do, excavation would be done if it can't be completed as soon as we thought.

    It looks like more than a scoreboard is being added to the north end of the stadium. It looks like they are going to continue the facade they have on the west side of the stadium. I've always wanted them to entirely wrap the stadium, because it's one of the uglier of the major stadiums in the conference because of all of the exposed concrete columns. My dream is that they find a way to also move parking from the north and south ends, maybe a small garage nearby and turn those areas into plazas. That'd effect some tailgating, but it'd make the property look nicer.
  • The Freep is reporting that Munn Arena appears in line for a renovation. Athletic Director Mark Hollis states that a reno'ed Munn would cost about $20 million, while an entirely new arena could cost upwards of $70 million. Hockey Coach Tom Anastos thinks the reno proposal "is substantial, and that arena will have a whole different look and feel to it." The Athletic Department would need to grab some substantial donor cash for the project as a whole though, and Hollis stated that they're "still waiting to hear back from a few potential donors.”

    The article also mentions that Munn will for sure be receiving a new ice-cooling system, which will be completed prior to next season. That project will cost about $3 million, which will be taken from department operational funds.
  • An unexpected discovery apparently occurred during the opening stages of West Circle steam loop construction going on this summer. An undocumented building was uncovered next to the Morrill Hall foundation.

    Lynne Goldstein, an Anthropology Professor and director of MSU Campus Archaeology Program, has opined that it was likely an old boiler building used to help power the hall in the early 1900's. The discovery is not expected to delay the West Circle steam loop project.
  • edited July 2012
    The Broad Art Museum now has a date for its debut. The University is planning an outdoor public ceremony for November 9, 2012, with an indoor open house on November 10.

    Additionally, MSU has named the inaugural exhibitions for the gallery:

    Global Groove 1973/2012” will use Nam June Paik’s seminal 1973 video “Global Groove” as a jumping-off point to explore current trends in international video art.

    In Search of Time” will investigate artists’ expressions of time and memory by creating dialogues among works by artists including Josef Albers, Romare Bearden, Damien Hirst, Toba Khedoori, Andy Warhol, Eadweard Muybridge and Sam Jury, among others.

    Glad to see it appears as though they're now getting past the funding issues and are able to focus on getting some first-class exhibits!
  • Morril Hall is now under demolition. The plans call for a decorative sidewalk and landscaping design that will match the footprint of the historical building.
  • Morrill Hall has always been one of my favorite buildings on campus because it's so unique. They've been planning the demolition for years, so it's not a surprise, but it still hurts to see it go, particularly since it's not being replaced at its site (the offices and classrooms will mostly be moved to the new Wells Hall addition). Buildings like Morrill don't get built, anymore.
  • I found a rendering of the new bio engineering facility:
    bio-engineering-facility.jpg

    MSU Board Approves Bio Engineering Project
  • I'm pretty disappointed at MSU's continued push south as they work on eliminating parking lots between Wilson Rd and the Red Cedar river. This building could have gone on one of those surface lots, and it would have been nice infill. Instead, the university has been pushing more and more buildings to Service Road, which is just going to spread out infrastructure costs in the long run.
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