Building boom at UTEP

[Alaric]

Where's all this coming from, $100 oil?

BUILDING BOOM AT UT EL PASO

EL PASO (Elpasoinc.com) -- Five major projects totaling more that $236 million are going up on campus at the University of Texas at El Paso. The projects include:

a $5.9 million, 31,000-sf university bookstore at University Ave. and Sun Bowl Dr., to be completed by the end of this year;
a $124 million, 140,000-sf renovation of the science and engineering facilities, to begin in November and be completed by 2010;
a $60 million, 130,000-sf upgrade for the College of Health Sciences and School of Nursing, also to begin in November and set for completion by 2010;
a $14.3 million, 45,000-sf practice facility called the Foster Stevens Basketball Complex at Glory Rd. and Mesa St., to be finished by next March; and
a $32 million, more than 95,000-sf addition to the university’s swimming and fitness center, with construction beginning in May 2009 and completion set for 2010.

[jkflamebo]

so does that mean they won't be a third tier school anymore?

[SMUtrojanFAN]

Well, they still have to live in the EP. Have any of you ever been to El Paso? It's got a great view of Juarez.

[RGV Pony]

So it costs more per square foot to build in El frickin Paso (their bball practice facility = 319/sf) vs HP/UP? (ours=309/sf).

Sounds like some contractors are ripping UTEP (or I guess the state) off.

[smu diamond m]

We've been building pretty hardcore too, if you hadn't noticed. Its been a construction warzone since my junior year of high school, at least.

[Alaric]

We've been building pretty hardcore too, if you hadn't noticed. Its been a construction warzone since my junior year of high school, at least.

Uhhhhhh...where did I compare UTEP's construction to SMU's? I saw that article today and was surprised they're doing that much construction at once. That's significant money.

[Big Hoss]

a $14.3 million, 45,000-sf practice facility called the Foster Stevens Basketball Complex at Glory Rd. and Mesa St., to be finished by next March.

Kind of interesting that their new basketball practice facility will be located on Glory Road. That is the name of the movie about the Texas Western (now UTEP) team that won the national basketball championship. The only school in Texas to have won an NCAA championship in basketball.

[smu diamond m]

We've been building pretty hardcore too, if you hadn't noticed. Its been a construction warzone since my junior year of high school, at least.

Uhhhhhh...where did I compare UTEP's construction to SMU's? I saw that article today and was surprised they're doing that much construction at once. That's significant money.

I didn't mean to come off tacky, just stating a simple fact. Sorry.

Any body have a rundown of our last 5 buildings on campus? Embrey, Crum, Morrison-Bell, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports, ...? I'm drawing a blank.

[SMUtrojanFAN]

Junkins?

[FWMustangGirl]

Any body have a rundown of our last 5 buildings on campus? Embrey, Crum, Morrison-Bell, Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports, ...? I'm drawing a blank.

No clue. I just know that campus hardly resembles the one I remember. And I know that the Lambda Chi and SAE house got moved for construction purposes, but wow. The new houses look huge.

[couch 'em]

Junkins?

Did Junkins open before or after the new science building next to fondren? I was there when Junkins opened but I never had a reason to go into the new science building.

[White Helmet]

The building next to Fondren is Dedman Life Sciences it opened it 2002, which was before Junkins I think.

[SMUtrojanFAN]

Oh I think we forgot about the Blanton admin building. That opened after Junkins.

[couch 'em]

And the new business building with the tacky two towers on top.

[Alaric]

And the new business building with the tacky two towers on top.

The amount of new construction over the past 10 years at SMU is absolutely shocking - starting to look like a top 25 compound in quality...also have to commend SMU for maintenance of the grounds. They were always crap when I was there (graduated in '93) and are always in great shape now.