BU construction ‘exciting’

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This article was published 13/01/2012 (5307 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Greg Selinger donned a white hard hat and checked out the construction activity Thursday afternoon at Brandon University’s $20-million Healthy Living Centre.

The visit surprised some construction workers, who reached for their cellphones to take photos of Selinger, Brandon University president Deborah Poff and BU construction manager Bill Myers touring their work site.

But it was Selinger who took mental pictures of the building’s progress and left impressed with the facility’s potental.

“It looks quite exciting and I think, it will be quite a project,” Selinger said after the 20-minute tour. “I think it will help the university in the future as it becomes a centre for education. For me, you like to see new assets being built at universities because you know they will endure for more than one generation. It can be a real plus for the next 50, 60, 70 years.”

The Healthy Living Centre’s 50,000 square feet is starting to take shape, as walls are being built and steel support structures have been installed. Selinger said he liked the energy efficient features of the building, that it will have a glass wall that allows natural light in and that it will be used by the community at large, not just the university.

“I noticed they were able to take advantage of all the energy efficiency improvements they made on their old buildings to get the heating and cooling system into the new building,” Selinger said. “They don’t have to add on their existing infrastructure because of their good work to reduce energy consumption on the old building.”

The provincial government put $5.31 million into the construction effort, a figure that was matched by the federal government. While Brandon University is still raising money to cover its share of the costs, Poff anticipates the building will be ready to be used next fall.

“This is a great recruitment tool,” Poff said. “We have some great volleyball and some great basketball but we have tried to recruit teams to play in a 1965 building and that’s not the most attractive when you are trying to recruit new students, so that will be great. But it’s not just about the competitive sports because this will be a great place to jog, or work out. It’s a state-of-the-art facility that a lot of universities have now and so it was a gap in our own facilities.”

Poff said the new gym and fitness complex will be a centre where members of the university community can heal the wounds caused by a lengthy strike in the fall.

“Any new, exciting opportunity gives people a chance to be positive and get motivated, so a lot of faculty will work out here,” Poff said. “A lot of staff will work out here. The community will as well, because we signed a community access agreement. For folks recovering from heart surgery, this will be a wonderful facility.”

Selinger noted the new gym will give Brandon University one more reason to sell itself to the world.

“We’ve been through a challenging fall and this university has a good reputation and always has,” Selinger said. “Many of the programs are some of the most outstanding ones in Canada and we want to make sure we emphasize that. We are always willing to work with the administration, the faculty, the students and the community at large including city hall, to make sure that Brandon is recognized as great place, not just to live, but to get an education as well.”

Selinger said his government backs up that claim with a five per cent increase to the university’s operating grant for the next three years.

“We have provided stability on the financial side and we committed to keep tuition increases to a rate no higher than inflation. From a student perspective, they can have a predictable price to come here, and the administration knows it can get a decent quantum of resources increased every year.”

» kborkowsky@brandonsun.com