Student Housing: PSU breaks ground for $10 million housing complex
PITTSBURG, Kan. — The last time a residence hall was constructed at Pittsburg State University, Americans had yet to land on the moon and Lyndon Johnson was president. And the student population was 5,500. That was 1966, when Dellinger Hall opened.
The student population has grown since then, to more than 7,000 this fall, prompting administrators to examine housing options in recent years.
On Wednesday, university employees, students, city officials, architects and contractors gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony for new student housing: a $10 million project that will accommodate 200 students.
Dirt already had been moved at the site in recent weeks by contractor R.E. Smith, so there was no need to haul out ceremonial shovels.
Instead, those in attendance got a look at what the residence hall complex will look like. Architectural renderings were placed on the northeast corner of Quincy and Joplin streets, where construction is under way.
The new complex will feature five buildings with three- and four-bedroom apartment-style units, each with a kitchenette, a living room and a bathroom. Each building also will have its own laundry area. One building will have a recreation area with a television, pool tables, a mailroom and a front desk. A patio and green space will be included in the complex.
The university sold revenue bonds, which it will pay back over the course of 25 years, to pay for the project. The university purchased 12 properties to make space for the buildings.
Student Government Association president Andrea Cole, a senior, said the project will help complete “the total package” for students and make the university more attractive.
“It allows another choice,” said PSU President Steve Scott. “We now have so many different options for students to choose from, and that’s a very, very important part of what we’re doing.”
Completion is set for July 2010.
‘Commodious’
University archivist Randy Roberts said Willard Hall, Pittsburg State University’s first residence hall, opened in 1924 as an “ultra-modern, commodious, fireproof home for 114 women.”
By Andra Bryan Stefanoni for The Joplin Globe
