Architects Appointed For Alumni Center, Child Care Facility

7-11-97
Reading, Pa. -- Penn State's Board of Trustees approved today (July 11) the appointment of architects for an alumni center and a child care facility at University Park in addition to giving the go-ahead to Penn State Worthington Scranton for a classroom/conference center and Penn State Harrisburg for a science and technology building expansion.

The existing University House building will become the alumni center and additional facilities will be constructed for staff offices, meeting rooms and recognition of outstanding alumni. The center will serve as a gathering point for returning alumni, an information center, a starting point for campus tours and location for special events. Linda O'Gwynn, Architects, of Philadelphia, has been selected to design the $7 million project. Although Penn State has the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world, with more than 140,000 members, it's one of the few major universities that has no dedicated center.

The alumni center will be financed entirely by private funds. Penn State alumni Edward R. and Helen Skade Hintz pledged $5 million to the University earlier this spring, part of which will go toward the new center.

The board also approved the appointment of the architectural firm of Kieran, Timberlake & Harris, of Philadelphia, to design a new central campus child care facility. The building will accommodate approximately 150 children and will help alleviate the existing demand for child care.

The new building will supplement the child care facility currently under construction at the Penn State Research Park. Last June, President Spanier approved the University Child Care Action Plan that reinforced Penn State's commitment to providing access to quality child care for faculty, staff and students and made recommendations for both facilities.

Penn State Harrisburg, the Capital College, will be the beneficiary of a $1.2 million, 8,820-square-foot addition to its existing science and technology building. The board-approved project will provide pilot research labs, offices and a multimedia classroom. The addition is being constructed with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which will share in the use of the pilot labs for research.

The Whitaker Foundation, AMP Foundation, GPU Energy and other corporate sponsors are also helping fund the project.

Penn State Worthington Scranton won board support for its plans to construct a 9,100-square-foot classroom-conference center to support its continuing and general education programs.

In other business, the Board approved Penn State's plans to acquire property at several locations, including:

-- a Council Crest Colony property to the east of interstate 81 and route 93, Hazleton, which contains 18.7 acres of woodland, for $250,000;

-- the Hawbecker property at Fox Hill Road, Benner Township, adjacent to the University Park Airport, which contains 203.5 acres of farmland, for $1.7 million;

-- the Kline property at 1687 Barn's Lane, adjacent to the University Park Airport, which contains five acres and a one-story, 2,524-square-foot home, for $325,000 and

-- the Frantz property at 1725 Barn's Lane, adjacent to the University Park Airport, which contains slightly more than one acre and a two-story, 2,561-square-foot home, for $202,875.

Consistent with Federal Aviation Administration requirements and with funding provided by the FAA, the Kline and Frantz properties are being acquired due to their location in relation to the proposed flight plan of a new runway for the University Park Airport.

**kiw**

Contact: Karen I. Wagner (814) 865-7517 (office) (814) 867-0797 (home) kiw1@psu.edu