On-campus housing at GSU one step closer to reality
February 20, 2013 7:12PM
Artist's rendering of a residential building to be constructed at Governors State University in University Park. | Supplied image
Maps
Updated: March 22, 2013 10:30AM
If everything goes according to plan, Governors State University students will be able to call the campus “home” for the first time starting next year.
The university’s board of trustees last week approved construction bids for the first-ever residential complex at the University Park campus, according to a news release from the school.
The first phase of the Prairie Place project will have 77 fully furnished apartment and suite-style units and 296 beds, with a bed, desk, chair and wardrobe-dresser unit for each student, the school said. Apartment units will have fully equipped kitchens.
Community space will include lounges, study rooms, a classroom, laundry room, vending areas, a service desk and community kitchens, according to the release.
Resident assistants will live on each floor, and social, recreational and informal educational activities are planned.
The complex will be ready for occupancy in summer 2014, the school said.
Founded in 1969, Governors State is converting to a four-year university and will welcome its first freshman class in 2014.
The board last week approved $17.2 million in construction bids for the first phase of the residential complex. Carlson Brothers, Inc., of Joliet, was approved as the general contractor with a $10.4 million bid, the release said.
Construction is to begin in mid-March, with a groundbreaking ceremony slated for April 5.
The project is being financed by a $20 million bond sale completed in April, the release said.
Governors State, at 1 University Parkway, University Park, serves more than 7,000 students, school officials said.
Staff reports
