Vol. 25 No. 19
A preliminary sketch of a new student residence hall at the Penn State Altoona Campus.
The University Park Airport has received requests for hangar space, especially for larger corporate-type aircraft, which exceed the capacity of present hangar facilities. To help alleviate the situation, the University will lease a roughly .95-acre parcel of land along Fox Hill Road to the Charlie Brown Air Corp. for the construction of a four-bay hangar facility and related aircraft parking ramp.
The Charlie Brown Air Corp. is headed by Lance Shaner, also chairman of the Shaner Hotel Group, based in State College. Mr. Shaner plans to occupy one hangar bay with his company's Citation jet and will rent the three remaining hangar bays to other tenants.
The acreage will be leased for a 20-year period at an annual rental rate of $4,800 per year with periodic escalations, after which the structure and other improvements will revert to the University. The agreement includes requirements for approval of all building plans by the University before construction and appropriate restrictions on the use of the proposed facilities.
Areas for future construction of aircraft hangars were identified in the 1989 University Park Airport Master Plan and in the 1995 amended General Aviation Area Plan, both approved by the Board of Trustees.
The Biomedical Technology Center at Fayette will be a two-story, 27,400-square-foot facility with labs and faculty offices for the biology, chemistry, physics/earth sciences and nursing programs. The building will also house a 130-seat general science lecture hall, a classroom and a greenhouse.
The Biomedical Technology Center is designed by Altman & Altman Architects of Uniontown. The total project budget of $4.4 million will be funded through a state appropriation.
At Altoona, the proposed 320-bed residence hall will help meet a growing demand for student housing and will be among the largest new residence facilities built by the University since the 1970s. The sketch/preliminary plans are designed by Noelker and Hull Associates Inc. of Chambersburg and the total project budget is $8 million.
At 79,000 square feet, the structure will range from one- to four-stories, depending on the wing. Suites will consist of two double rooms sharing a common bathroom. Lounge and study space will be included in each wing.
In other business, the board was informed that the firm of John C. Haas Associates Inc., State College, has been appointed architect for a state-funded $2 million renovation of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at University Park. This is the same firm that designed the University-funded two-story addition to the laboratory now under construction.
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