Courtesy of Carrie O’Brion
By James Bennett III
A nest of ospreys watched as Mayor Rick Kriseman, then-USF President Judy Genshaft and Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock broke ground on the new residence hall on April 25.
Edward Lewis, the university’s construction project manager, said the birds have made a lot of noise since the groundbreaking. They’ve watched as the skeleton of the building was built, too.
The building, which is being constructed on Sixth Avenue South and between Third and Fourth streets, is on schedule to meet the projected July 2020 completion date, Lewis said. Once it’s finished, 375 students will be able to move in, increasing the number of beds by 70 percent.
Names for the $31.5 million building are still being considered, but the west side has already been designated for student life offices, and the east side will be used by the kitchen.
Additionally, Lewis said the first floor facilities will include laundry services, a student kitchen and a large student lounge. There will be smaller student lounges on each floor.
Small details, such as construction materials and light fixtures, will be environmentally friendly. The Student Green Energy Fund, which has been involved with the environmentally friendly design process, plans to move The Reef’s biodigestor to the building, too.
The new building’s cafeteria, which Sodexo predicts will serve roughly 1,000 meals a day, will be able to seat 400 people. Designs for the new cafeteria are nearly finished and are expected to offer students a larger variety of food than The Reef.
Lewis said plans for the building also include a quiet nook for students to eat, and the building will have “exceptional” Wi-Fi.
To accommodate the growing number of students, the university has started to look at how it will expand parking. Whether it will create a new lot or add additional levels to existing garage is still to be determined.
“This is a historic event for USF St. Petersburg,” said Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock in a press release that preceded the groundbreaking ceremony. “This new residence hall and dining facility will not only provide much-needed affordable living and dining options for our students — it will foster a greater sense of community and help us with our efforts to continue improving student success.”
“I’m excited for the residence hall because I would like to see another 375 students here on the weekends and evenings,” said Lewis, adding that it will likely move the school toward a “real permanent campus experience.”
“That’ll be interesting to see if that changes the dynamic around here,” Lewis said.
