Harper updates Palatine council on construction

Although Harper College doesn’t require Palatine’s approval to make physical changes, representatives Monday stopped by the village council meeting to bring officials up to speed on the campus master plan.

The big projects now beginning to ramp up were made possible by the $153.6 million borrowing plan taxpayers approved in 2008 to improve aging infrastructure. When President Ken Ender arrived a year later, he put together a team to decide how to best spend the money.

“I guess the good news is they came out of that planning process with a very specified, disciplined approach to doing the work,” Ender told the village council. “The bad news is they identified $400 million of work, and we’ve got $210 million to spend.”

Four projects besides maintenance work have been deemed the highest priorities.

First, anyone driving on Roselle Road or Euclid Avenue past the campus can see work is already under way on roadway and parking lot improvements. The $5.2 million project aims to make the configurations safer for pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Tom Crylen, Harper’s executive director of facilities, said college officials were surprised to learn that as many motorists use the Euclid entrance as the one on Algonquin. It’s possible the Euclid entrance will be moved east to minimize the frequent traffic backups.

Work also will begin this fall on the $38.1 million renovation to Building H, which will house engineering and technology programs. Crylen said the college is in the bidding process and that completion is scheduled for fall 2014. Classes and labs have been relocated from the now-vacant building, creating cramped conditions in certain areas.

“There are a lot of folks excited about seeing this to fruition,” Crylen said.

Construction on a third project, a $46.4 million renovation of the math and general studies facility known as Building D, will begin in early 2013 and wrap up two years later. It will add 30,000 square feet to the east end and serve as a gateway to the north end of campus, just as the Avante Center does on the south.

The final project Crylen discussed is a $50.2 million one-stop admissions and campus/student center. Harper is in negotiations with an architectural firm and expects to start construction in spring 2014 and finish in fall 2016.

Building H, Building D and the admissions center each will undergo a certification process with the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We’re trying hard to be sustainable with our projects going forward,” Crylen said.