Construction continues on schedule for Science II building, set to open in December 2004

By Tamara Smith

Construction is underway on the Science II building, the third addition to the proposed Central California Science Center at Fresno State.

The new 71,000-square foot building will be roughly half the size of the 127,000-square foot existing Science building and will include lecture halls, instructional labs and more than 100 faculty offices.

“ There’s just not a lot to see yet,” Bob Boyd, director of facilities said. The project is currently in the first two months of construction. The footings have been poured to the three buildings and all rough utility underground work is completed, Boyd said.

The three-story building will be located immediately east of the Downing Planetarium and is the largest academic building to be constructed on the campus in a decade.

“ So far it’s on schedule. The schedule’s tight, but we’re going to push to do it,” Ray Rahn, project manager for the construction, said. The facilities planning department anticipates completion in December 2004, in time for classes for the spring 2005 semester.

The completion of the building will allow for the demolition of the remaining San Ramon buildings, temporary structures added to the campus in the early 1970s, said Stan Ziegler, assistant to the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

Classes will be relocated to the new building, and in San Ramon’s place will be green space: grass and trees, said Gary Wilson, campus director of Facilities Planning. Additional parking is not part of this project, Wilson said.

Planning stages of the proposed Central California Science Center have been in the works for more than 10 years, according to the Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics Dr. K.P. Wong. Wong said he hopes for students of all ages to appreciate what the new Science center will offer, more than just new classroom buildings. “We will be offering new educational opportunities for our students,” he said.

By December about half of the projected California Science Center will be up and running, according to Wong.

“ We can achieve the goals that the president puts in his strategic plan, but we’re doing it in a cost-effective way.” The funding for this construction didn’t come from student’s tuition. In 2001, voters approved a bond measure that helped fund the Science II project with Californian’s tax dollars.

Further stages of the plan are expected to include: a Science Education Building, a museum connected with the Downing Planetarium, to be funded by a generous contribution from the Downing Family and a Science Partners Building.

“ It’s a matter of money, once the money’s there, it will be built,” said Stan Ziegler, assistant to the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.

There is no estimated completion time for the entire project, yet Wong said he is hopeful. “I really believe that if we can recognize the value of getting people together, this can happen. When things happen, students learn.”