Phase Two nears completion
TRADES AND TECHNOLOGIES FACILITY AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE GOING THROUGH FINAL FINISHING WORK
Not every large-scale construction project comes in on time and on budget.
But at Lethbridge College, the largest one in its 60-year history will do just that.
Less than two years after breaking ground, the final touches are now being completed on Phase Two of the new trades and technologies facility. On Friday, the college is set to take possession of the building from the contractors.
“It’s gone pretty smooth and we’re pretty happy with it,” said Francis Rankin, senior project manager at Lethbridge College, during a media tour Monday morning. “There’s still work to be done on the building before the students return in August, but that’s mostly finishing work and minor touch ups.”
More than 140 workers were on site in May during a large push to complete many aspects of the build. Mechanical, electrical, structural, architectural and City of Lethbridge consultants are now going through their checklists to make sure everything meets or exceeds necessary standards, LC officials said.
Ahead of the Friday takeover, cleaners will be working away this week. Then, once the college takes possession of the 127,495-square-foot facility, a largescale moving effort will start as workers hang signs, set up classrooms and shops, and move heavy equipment into the areas that will house the Wind Turbine Technician, Electrician Apprenticeship Training, Welder Apprenticeship Training, Engineering Design and Drafting, and Interior Design Technology programs.
The building features 22 large wooden support pillars, as well as a main spine corridor that will run northsouth and connect the older part of LC with the new area. With in-floor lighting, about 180,000 square feet of glass and about 225 sun tubes used with new technology, the trades and technologies facility will also be quite bright, Rankin says.
“All the trades and all the companies that have worked on it have been local, so it’s not somebody from outside coming in and doing a job for us,” he added. “The vast majority of the money that was spent on this building is actually staying in the Lethbridge area. Approximately 500-plus alumni students worked on this job.”
“With all of the hard work of our staff, trade partners and the design team, Stuart Olson is pleased to report that construction of the new trades and technologies facility is concluding on schedule,” said Spencer Calhoun, Stuart Olson project manager.
“For the last several weeks, we have been implementing mechanical and electrical commissioning and functional testing that will precede facility training and the formal turnover to Lethbridge College in early-to-mid July. In addition to these activities, we and our trade partners have been finalizing the remaining finishing tasks including painting, millwork, interior glazing and acoustic panels.”
LC has hired six additional Facilities staff to support the regular crew and groundskeepers. They make some further adjustments after faculty and students begin using the building in August.
The facility will also house a 7,000square-foot innovation space, expected to be completed by spring 2018. That addition was made possible by $6.44 million in federal funding through the federal Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.
Phase One of the new trades and technologies facility opened to students in August 2015. Phase Two groundbreaking took place in October 2015.
The new trades and technologies facility will host its official grand opening with a community celebration on Sept. 27.
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