Time line for CIB

This archived article was written by: Chris Barney

The rumors are becoming realities, Friday April 25, 2014; gold shovels will break ground, marking the start of construction on the Central Instructional Building.
The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the SAC building, complete with a semi-formal reception and refreshments. Chancellor Joe Peterson says, “We want to thank some very important people who had a big impact on getting this thing done.”
Key players in the lobbying process for the CIB include Sen. David Hinkins and USU President Stan Albrecht. “He put us (USU Eastern’s CIB) at the top of the university’s priorities. It’s a huge endorsement.” Tony Basso, Marc Bingham and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation all contributed varying amounts to the project, all starting at $250,000.
Those mentioned are the largest donors, but many more have also contributed substantial sums. Of them, Peterson said, “People know how important this is. They have a sense of what this means and what it will do for the community. They are willing to put their resources into it, and we want to thank them at the ground breaking.
Student life will be drastically impacted, beginning in early May, one short month from now. Peterson says, “The fence [surrounding the existing quad where the CIB will be built] will go up the first week in May, right then all kinds of construction starts. They plan to have the roof and the walls done by the end of Fall 2014 term. This means that students will no longer be able to cut through the lawn on their way across campus. Parking will become increasingly difficult, as the primary route of construction vehicles will be on 400 North. Campus will have to endure lots of noise, especially during the digging and foundation laying. Jacobsen Construction hopes to keep noise and debris to a minimum.
Many departments are asking what impact the construction of the CIB will have on them during this next academic year. For the most part, any classes and offices currently occupying the SAC and Brown Music Building, will be moving to the CIB upon its completion.
Unfortunately, the cosmetology, testing center, and Upward-Bound programs will need to find new homes, given that such spaces dedicated to those courses will not be in the CIB. Plenty of alternatives exist however, and in no way does this threaten the programs themselves.
The SAC will be demolished in Fall 2015, and replaced with a grass quad. The music building will be turned into a parking lot, with a grass berm on its outskirts to preserve campus beauty. “The completion date of the CIB will be August 2015,” says Peterson, “just enough time for the paint to dry and get in there and start teaching.”