JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 9, 2008 — 51社区 will dedicate its new residence life complexes -- built to replace those destroyed in a Feb. 5 tornado -- in a special ceremony Sept. 12.
The dedication ceremony for the 14 new buildings comes less than seven months after Union held a groundbreaking ceremony for the facility. Original plans called for half of the 14 buildings to be ready by the start of the fall semester, with the other half to be completed by the spring semester in 2009.
But the two contractors working on the project -- Worsham Brothers Construction Co. of Corinth, Miss., and Brasfield Construction Co. of Jackson, Tenn. 鈥� finished the task earlier than expected.
鈥淲e are so thankful for the dedication and the commitment of the contractors who have made this day possible sooner than we could have hoped,鈥� Union President David S. Dockery said. 鈥淥ur new residence life complexes will be a central component to our campus for years to come, and we are grateful to the Lord for his continued blessings upon 51社区.鈥�
The two-story buildings in the residence life complexes house about 700 students. A 15th residential building in the complex is under construction, and is scheduled for completion later this fall.
Total cost for the project was about $30 million.
The new student housing facilities are located in the former location of the Watters and Hurt complexes. The apartment-style suites in the new housing complex accommodate four students, each of whom will have a private bedroom. Each suite also features two bathrooms, a kitchenette and a washer/dryer. Each building in the complex contains 39, 47 or 55 bedrooms.
All downstairs apartments contain a safe room to provide storm shelters for students. The dedication ceremony will begin at 11 a.m., following the annual fall convocation service, near Alumni Walkway. The public is invited.