Bowman Hall, UW-Stout

The Wisconsin State Building Commission has given the final go-ahead to three renovation projects at UW-Stout as well as a preliminary OK to the construction of a new residence hall at UW-Eau Claire. All the projects have been included in previous UW System budget requests and had been approved by the UW System Board of Regents. At UW-Stout, the projects include:

• Bowman Hall: $8.95 million will be spent on exterior maintenance and repair on the oldest building on campus, which is known for its clock tower (whose appearance won’t be changed by the project). The work will being in June 2018 and will be finished by November 2019.

• North Hall: This residence hall will receive a 14,000-square-foot addition as well as renovations to about 76,000 square feet, for a total cost of $21.74 million. The four-story dorm has 371 beds. Construction will start in June 2018 and be completed by July 2019.

• Merle M. Price Commons: The $7.57 million project entails renovating 19,000 square feet on the first floor to accommodate a variety of offices, as well as student gathering areas. Work is scheduled to start next May and be done by August 2019.

Meanwhile, on June 28 the State Building Commission also approved UWEC’s request to build a new $35 million residence hall on upper campus. Now the university can complete the design phase of the project, after which it must return to the commission for a final thumbs up. The six-story dorm will house 432 students, and if all goes well construction will start in February 2018 and be complete by August 2019.