Renovation plan leaps forward

The Phyllis P. Marshall Center Enhancement Project (MCEP) has taken another significant leap forward. According to Student Government Senate President Frank Harrison, USF President Judy Genshaft has officially approved the use of more than $12 million in Capital Improvement Trust Fund monies towards the MCEP.

Now that the allocation has officially been approved, actual work on the MCEP can really begin.

“It’s thrilling that it’s finally kicking off,” said Joe Synovec, the assistant director of the Marshall Center. “Hopefully within a few weeks the architects will start the design aspect of the new building.”

With the money actually in place, the official financial plans can begin to solidify. According to Synovec, the plans for the MCEP should be ready to be officially formalized and approved by the Board of Trustees by early 2006.

The MCEP could be completed in one phase rather than two phases as was originally planned. This could possibly lead to an earlier finished product, according to Synovec.

He laid out what looks to be the most likely plan of action.

Synovec said the Special Events Center would be torn down and the brand new Marshall Center would replace it. Once that is finished, the current Marshall Center would be demolished and replaced by things such as landscaping, gardens and walkways.

Though the MCEP is making progress it is still far from being done.

“We really don’t know the timeline right now as far as total completion,” Synovec said.

Genshaft also approved $753,000 for Campus Recreation, of which $605,000 is accommodated for replacing the Andros Pool with a new “resort style” pool. The Andros Pool is in danger of being condemned by the county for a variety of safety reasons. Construction on the new pool should begin in the summer of 2006.

Campus Recreation will use $75,000 to build a climbing tower at the ropes course at Riverfront Park. According to Eric Hunter, the director of Campus Recreation, the climbing tower is the final piece in completing the ropes course.

The remaining $73,500 will be used to help fund the renovation of the boathouse at Riverfront Park.

From student tuition, a $2.44 per-credit-hour fee is assessed toward the CITF. That money is put into a fund by the state Legislature, and they let that fund grow for a few years. Approximately once every three years the money is given back to the school. The school then gets to decide what they want to do with the money. The money has to be used for physical projects, such as remodeling, construction or demolition.

According to Harrison, CITF monies are prohibited from being used on academic buildings.