Heritage Hall to undergo estimated $4.2 million renovation
By Zack Bolien
[email protected]
Staff Writer
The sound of construction will soon take over Heritage Hall.
The 70-year-old building will be undergoing massive renovations in a project that will cost an estimated 4.2 million dollars.
At the helm of this project is Doug Webb, the physical plant director for Georgia Highlands College. His job is to manage and oversee the construction.
The renovations will include new heating and air conditioning units for most of the building, as well as a new sprinkler system. The entire first floor of the building will be rebuilt with new doors, ceilings, lighting systems and fire alarms.
"The building was constructed in 1936 and renovated in 1976," Webb said.
Even though the college has spent about $1 million dollars on the building since it acquired the facility in 1993, it still has very old and outdated mechanical systems that demand GHC renovate the building as soon as possible, according to Webb.
Plans for the construction are complete and awaiting budget approval. Once this step is over, work will start within 10 days of Dec. 1. The construction is estimated to continue into late June.
Students planning to attend classes at Heritage Hall do not need to worry about being displaced, however. The second floor will be worked on first, with little to no interruption in classes. After that phase is over, classes will be transferred to the second floor while the first is totally rebuilt.
"By phasing in the project, the faculty, staff and students should be able to continue work or attend class with very little inconvenience," said Webb.
The only problem that might arise, according to Webb, is that with a large enough growth of students at Heritage Hall, a few may have to schedule classes at the Floyd campus for a semester. Dental and nursing students are currently the only majors taking classes at Heritage Hall.
Work on the building is expected to continue in smaller intervals over the next few years.
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