From the Desk of Emory & Henry College President Rosalind Reichard...

EMORY, Va. - Work is underway this week on the development of the staging area for the materials and equipment for the Brooks Field House. The staging area will be located in the region where houses are currently overlooking the stadium. Demolition of these houses (Fachilla, Douglas, and Caywood) is beginning this week and will be followed by preparation of this space for the field house construction project. All of this should be accomplished in a few weeks. After the construction of the field house is complete, this area is intended to provide additional parking.

The E&H Board of Trustees approved bridge financing for construction of the Brooks Field House at its March 2011 meeting.  Financing was secured in the form of a $2.1 million loan through the USDA Rural Development program and a $2.5 million loan as tax-exempt bonds issued through the Town of Saltville Industrial Development Authority. These funds will supplement outstanding pledges and future donations toward the cost of the two-story, 18,237 square foot facility. Once completed, the facility will use a geothermal field for its heating and cooling and is expected to acquire LEED Silver certification from the US Green Building Council.

To assist in the construction of the Brooks Field House and other small projects on campus, Judy Yoder joined Emory & Henry College in June as our Project Manager. Judy has just completed a $ 100 million school construction program in Hampton, Virginia and comes to Emory & Henry with over thirty years of construction experience with a B.S. in Building Construction and Civil Engineering. Judy is working closely with Architect Thompson-Litton and Emory & Henry College personnel to ensure that the project runs smoothly and is completed on time.

The funding provided by the USDA Rural Development Program is accompanied by federal requirements that must be followed for the planning and construction of the building. After review of the plans by several groups, the College has received authority to proceed with the construction bidding process. Advertising for bids will be placed in the Bristol Herald-Courier, the Roanoke Times, and the Knoxville News-Sentinel on or about August 14. A mandatory pre-bid meeting is scheduled for interested contractors later in August at the King Center with bid submission due in September. Preparation of the staging area for the construction project should be completed by the end of August and the full construction of the field house should be underway in earnest by early October. The current construction timeframe for the project is estimated to be 365 days. But, until we have selected the construction company and finalized our agreement with them, it is difficult to state the actual completion date.  We will explore providing incentives to the construction company with the expectation of completing the project prior to the fall 2012 athletic season.

The College is working on site signage plans to assist with the flow of people attending athletic events around the construction project during the 2011 fall athletic season. Watch for additional information and follow the signs and directions when you attend our home football and soccer games this fall.

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