Issue date: 8/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Eric Poole Housing construction continues on the site where Manzanita Court was previously located. The Halls are scheduled to be finished by July 23, 2009. Phase 2 of the project currently involves pouring the concrete foundations for the two new buildings.

With Manzanita Hall fading into the history books, the SUU community looks forward to new housing projects for new ideas and improvements in SUU residential life.

The construction project for the new residence hall is now in its second phase, which means that the utilities are in and the foundations are being poured, said Neuman Duncan, SUU Housing director.

Jacobsen Construction is doing a great job and there have not been any unforeseen problems or delays so far, he said. Everything is on schedule and on budget.

Jacobsen Construction also built the Sharwan Smith Center in 1997 and re-built South Hall in 2003, according to the company's Web site.

The project is scheduled to be finished on July 23, 2009 and is estimated to cost just under $12 million, Duncan said.

In the meantime, students seeking on-campus housing have been accommodated in other ways, he said.

SUU has leased College View Apartments, parts of Willowbrook Apartments, and purchased Ponderosa Terrace to serve as on-campus housing, Duncan said.

Extra beds have also been added to Juniper Hall, increasing the bed count from 220 to 290, he said.

SUU President Michael T. Benson said many students will miss Manzanita, but the buildings needed to go.

"The fact of the matter is the building was old," he said. "It was decrepit. It was cold in the winter. It was hot in the summer."

Vice President of Student Services Donna Eddleman said the new residence hall will be better constructed than the 47-year-old Manzanita building had been.

"We discovered when we knocked down Manzanita that there was no insulation, so I have every confidence that (the new building) will be warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer and just a better construction," she said.

Improvements planned for the new residence hall include common kitchens on each level, bathrooms which will be shared by four or less people and front desks for added security, she said.

The improvements were designed around results from a focus group that was put together in 2006, Eddleman said.

"Very early on in the process, before my arrival, student surveys were conducted to see what amenities were important to students," she said in an earlier interview.

"(Students') priorities were considered along with the university's interest in creating opportunities for interaction, maximizing space while minimizing cost, ensuring a safe and secure environment and anticipating needs and trends far into the future," Eddleman said.

While many of the features of the residence hall will be new and never previously used at SUU, the new hall will keep shared living rooms in common with its predecessor, Manzanita, Duncan said.

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