Multi-Million Construction Projects Ongoing at WT Throughout Summer

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The campuses are mostly quieter for the summer, but millions of dollars in construction projects are actively transforming West Texas A&M University in both Canyon and Amarillo.

About two dozen projects are underway, representing more than $18 million in investment.

The centerpiece projects include the construction and renovation of the Baptist Community Services Nursing Education Floor at Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center and the refreshing of the Natural Sciences Building on the Canyon campus. Combined budget for the two projects is approximately $10 million.

“These major products will provide students with state-of-the-art facilities that will better prepare them to enter the workforce,” said Randy Rikel, vice president for business and finance

The Virgil Henson Activity Center also is seeing $1.2 million in improvements to its pool, including new flooring and paint. And 26th Avenue, which runs north-to-south through campus, is getting almost $1 million in enhancements for sidewalks, storm sewers and landscaping, designed to make the area more appealing and functional for tailgating during the football season.

Other projects include the re-roofing of the J.A. Hill Chapel and the Fieldhouse (otherwise known as “The Box”), two of the University’s most historic buildings; new flooring in Guenther, Jones, Conner and Cross residential halls; the construction of two swine care units at Nance Ranch; and elevator modernization in the Activity Center, First United Bank Center, Old Main and Mary Moody Northen Hall.

“Summer is an ideal time to undertake these projects because campus life slows down so much,” Rikel said. “But by the time students arrive in August for the fall semester, these newly refreshed areas will make an enormous difference.”

Providing student-centered campuses and facilities is a key principle of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. With enrollment of more than 10,000, WT offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 40 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—