Plans have been approved and Geneva College has begun work on a major internal addition to the Rapp Technical Design Center and extensive renovations to the Bagpiper Theater. The Rapp Center will gain an addition classroom on the second floor and the Bagpiper Theater will have a fully renovated first floor. Budgeted at close to half-a-million dollars in total, these projects will bring additional space and functionality while also increasing the aesthetic appeal of the campus.
Construction of a 1,260-square-foot classroom over the north end of the high bay area in the Rapp Center is projected to be completed mid-August. This project will expand the second floor above half of the shop area, creating a space designed to function primarily as a classroom for lectures or lab work for engineering students. The offices on the second floor will be reconfigured to accommodate a hallway to the classroom, and a ramp on the exterior east wall will lead to a new exit from the room. All work for this design-build project will be done by Lutz & Myers Inc., the company that designed and built the building in 2002. The projected cost for the project is around $310,000.
Work on the Bagpiper will be done by Geneva’s Physical Plant in three phases. Currently, work has begun on tearing out all of the arena seating and the old stage to create a “black box” on the first floor. The second phase will include expanding the lobby to accommodate two ADA standard bathrooms, a box office/concession room, and a control room. The third phase will include construction of a new wood paneled façade over the front of the building and a possible stone veneer on the exterior side walls. Work on the second and third stages will begin as soon as the proper building permits are acquired. Work on the interior is projected to be done before the fall semester begins so that students have access to the building, and exterior work may extend into the semester. The projected cost for the project is dependent on several factors, but the rough estimate is $220,000.
Associate Vice President of Operations and Human Resources Tim Baird is excited about the improved functionality of the two buildings. The addition of the new classroom and lab space in the Rapp Center brings new opportunities. “Anytime we add classroom space, this alleviates the pressure that we feel, especially in the larger classroom space,” explained Baird, “Having a classroom for over 50 students that is flexible enough for the engineering students is good. When not in use by engineering, other courses will be scheduled in there, so it will service the entire campus.”
Renovations to the Bagpiper Theater come after the decision to sell the former Studio Theater to Sheetz Inc. in November of last year. The Theater Director Mindy Williams is excited about the opportunities that the new Bagpiper affords her students: “Our style has become a studio black-box kind of experience. So we were looking at how we could create that sort of atmosphere in the new space.” Williams was also heavily involved in the planning for the exterior design. Her goal with the new design was to create a warm, welcoming space where students who see the outside will say, “This is the place to be.”
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