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Construction projects at Augsburg | Capital improvements bring other changes to campus | Athletic facilities receiving major renovations|
Launching REFormation 2000: Improving registration, enrollment and financial services As a culmination of study and work over the past 14 months, Vice President Rick Smith announced the first of several reforms to take place that will dramatically improve and streamline the registration, enrollment and financial (REF) services for students. The first floor renovation of Sverdrup Hall will result in new and expanded space for the Enrollment and Financial Services Center (EFSC), more than doubling the service counters available to students, and providing more comfortable, attractive and private space. The renovation will also include a lounge and reception area for students at EFSC or who are on a break from studying in Lindell Library. Capital improvements bring other changes to campus The Board of Regents in January approved a series of capital projects that will bring significant improvements to campus: Sverdrup Hall will undergo major renovation of the first floor beginning in April; the Link connecting Sverdrup Hall to Lindell Library will be built in May. Melby Hall will receive new windows, a new gym floor, bleachers and air conditioning, beginning in March. The Ice Arena is slated for roof work, painting and new floors, starting in April. Athletic facilities receiving major renovations By Don Stoner Back in 1961, Si Melby Hall was unveiled to rave reviews. An innovative, multi-purpose facility which was used as a gymnasium, chapel, convocation center and concert hall. 
Forty years later, the building is getting its first major facelift. A new gymnasium floor is being installed for the first time since the building's opening. New bleachers will be placed in the gymnasium, along with a complete HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) setup for the building. The lower-level fitness center is receiving its second expansion in a year. Lower-level athletic department and health and physical education department offices are being moved and renovated. And the renovation is not limited to Melby Hall. The Augsburg Ice Arena, celebrating its 25th anniversary this school year, is also receiving a major renovation, with new dasher boards, bleachers and a new paint job in the main rink. "There's a lot of enthusiasm about the scope of this project," said James Carey, Augsburg's director of athletic facilities. "This is the biggest improvement made to Si Melby Hall in four decades." Augsburg's athletic facilities are constantly used, not only by the College's 17 varsity athletic teams, but also by a wide cross-section of the Augsburg and greater communities. More than 600 Augsburg students, faculty, staff and alumni participate in the College's intramural programs, noted Kris Kraft, the College's intramural coordinator. The Twin Cities Sports Connection, a regional adult athletic league, holds many of its programs in Melby Hall and Anderson-Nelson Field, drawing several hundred adults to the college during each sport season. As many as 150 soccer teams per year have used the Anderson-Nelson Field indoor air structure for youth and adult leagues or programs sponsored by the Minnesota Thunder pro soccer team. The Ice Arena is used year-round by local youth and adult hockey teams, along with hockey camps. "We're operating our facilities pretty much 365 days a year, serving not only our community but the greater community, too," Carey said. "So many people have heard about Augsburg College because they've come here for youth soccer or youth hockey or our learn-to-skate programs. That's their first exposure to the College." Work began on the facilities in early March, when athletic department and health and physical education department offices were moved from Melby Hall into two portable trailers adjacent to the Ice Arena. Much of the work in Melby Hall is slated to be completed by the time of the College's Commencement exercises. This year's athletic facility renovations are the first steps in a long-term plan to expand and improve athletic facilities at the College. The vision for the future includes another expansion of Si Melby Hall and a new fieldhouse, to serve the increased needs for athletic facilities by the school's athletic teams, the greater Augsburg community and the entire region. |
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Click to view photos of renovation in progress.