BY IAN COX, NEWS EDITOR
Bellarmine still needs to fund more than $2 million of the $18 million needed to complete its Centro project.
Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Glenn Kosse said the $2.1 million will cover the costs to finish the building and that tuition is not being used to fund Centro’s completion.
“The money for Centro has all been fundraised,” Kosse said.
The Centro project has been split into two phases. Officials said Phase One, which includes the basic needs for the building, is essentially finished.
“Phase One is 99 percent complete and has a deadline of the end of the fiscal year. Phase One of the project included construction of the new building, fit-out of the ground floor, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and sprinkler upgrades to three floors of Horrigan Hall,” Assistant Vice President of Facilities and Grounds Jeffery Dean said.
A planned completion date is pending until all required funds have been raised.
“Phase Two of the project is to fit-out of the middle and top floors,” Dean said.
Kosse said the project has been the biggest undertaking his office has ever had during the university’s history.
“It’s the biggest thing we have ever raised money for,” Kosse said. “The buildings that don’t have direct revenue attached to them, such as Centro, have to be fundraised for,” said Glenn.
Kosse said that although tuition is not being used to fund Centro’s completion, tuition dollars will end up paying for the building’s usage.
“Your tuition is not paying for Centro, but the use of the building is,” Kosse said.
Dean said students and faculty will find many new classrooms and places to study when Phase Two of the project is completed.
“The middle floor will be the new Rubel School of Business with new classrooms, study rooms and faculty offices. The top floor is designed for more classrooms, Data Analytics and administrative offices,” Dean said.
Dean said disturbance to nearby classrooms should be minimal.
“We are proposing to perform much of this work over the summer and on night shift to minimize the impact on activity within the existing building,” Dean said.
Almost two years ago, construction began on Bellarmine’s campus to create the modern student facility. Late Bellarmine President Dr. Joseph J. McGowan made the building his top priority because he believed it would become Bellarmine’s “heart.”
“It will become, truly, the beating heart of this university,” McGowan said at the groundbreaking of Centro in November 2014.