Bryan Wells
News Reporter

Renovations and a new addition to Houston Hall on the south side of Mesa State’s campus are expected to be completed before the fall semester.
Director of Media Relations Dana Nunn said she was pleased with the progress being made on Houston.
“The building is coming along great,” Nunn said. “We’re on schedule and we’re on budget.”
Nunn said the budget is $15 million and is coming from money designated by Associated Student Government. ASG decided that funds generated by 2 percent of a recent 9 percent increase in tuition would go towards revamping the building.
The project includes the renovation of 66,685 square feet within Houston and an additional 14,255 square feet. The price per square foot is $185.32.
According to Nunn, the space will be put to good use. Once the work is finished there will be two large 100-person lecture halls, 14 classrooms, two 50-seat classrooms, four computer labs and 17 small classrooms which will hold 25 to 30 people.
Nunn said there will be an outdoor courtyard and terrace as well as lounges in Houston similar to those in the College Center where students will be able to hang out or study.
Tyler Weitzel, a business major said the renovations to Houston will help accommodate students and help the appearance of the college.
“It was an old building. Sometimes the temperatures in the rooms were off, but what can you expect?” Weitzel said. “After construction I’m sure Houston will be really nice just like every other building Mesa has recently built.”
The building will be tied to Mesa State’s Ground Source Heat Exchange system, making it an addition to the energy efficient buildings on campus. These buildings, which include the College Center, the Academic Classroom Building, the North Avenue residence halls and the Wubben Hall and the Science Center, are some of the most energy efficient buildings in Colorado. According to Excel Energy, ACB is the most energy efficient building on the Western Slope.
Nunn also talked about the new residence building under construction on the south west side of campus. Bunting Avenue Student Housing or BASH as the hall has been nicknamed, will raise the number of beds on campus by around 280 to 320. Nunn said as a general rule there would probably be 300 beds in the hall.
The beds in the new residence hall will increase the number of beds on campus to more than 1800. Nunn added that the extra space would help accommodate MSC’s growing enrollment.
“It really makes the difference between being a commuter college or not,” Nunn said. “There was a time when Mesa State was a commuter college but that just really isn’t the case anymore.”
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bwells@mesastate.edu