Demolition of the COG finished Aug. 5 — on time, by the way — meaning contractors have since seized control of the site soon to be occupied by the University Center. Two weeks ago, they removed trees that would have impeded construction. More recently, crews have been busy excavating the site to make room for the facility’s lower level. Pouring of the foundation will begin once drilling of the building’s wells is complete.
The University Center will utilize supply and return wells to draw water from the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which will provide 100 percent of the building’s cooling needs and 70 percent of its heating needs, all without the burning of fossil fuels. A specially designed heat exchange system will either extract or reject heat to water obtained from the aquifer before returning it to the original source. The exchange system ensures the University Center’s heating and cooling system never taints the water, thus maintaining the purity of the aquifer. The Washington State Department of Ecology is currently processing the water rights permit and drilling should begin in a couple of weeks.
After serving the Gonzaga campus for nearly 60 years, the COG is officially giving way to the new University Center. Demolition of the COG started Wednesday morning on the east side of the building in the Montana Room. It will take approximately four weeks to knock down the facility, at which point Hoffman Construction will begin preparing the site for the block-long basement of the University Center. Click here to view photos of the demolition.
Now that salvage operations at the COG are complete, demolition of the structure will begin at the end of June. Utilities have been shut off and the entire area around the COG is now fenced. Demolition should take approximately four weeks, at which point Hoffman Construction will begin excavating the site for the block-long basement of the University Center. Below are some other recent updates pertaining to construction of the University Center:
After years of operating in the COG, Zag Dining by Sodexo served the first meal in its new residence, the Boone Avenue Retail Center. The BARC will function as the temporary home to campus dining services until the University Center opens in 2015. Zag Dining is located on the ground level of the east side of the BARC next to Hamilton Street. Diners can access the building through entrances on either Boone or DeSmet avenues.
Another important campus service, the Zag Shop, is also now open in the BARC. The University’s bookstore occupies 16,000 square feet on the west side of the building’s main level. Its entrance is on the corner of DeSmet Avenue and Cincinnati Street.
The COG campus parking lot is now closed to personal vehicle parking due to contractor and demolition work in the area. Road closures can be expected on Boone Avenue and DeSmet Avenue from Dakota Street to Hamilton Street. Alternative parking may be found at the Boone Van Gorp, College Hall and Martin Centre campus parking lots.
Sodexo and the Zag Shop begin moving into the Boone Avenue Retail Center (BARC). The transition of these campus services is expected to be complete by June 16, 2013. Once finished, Sodexo can be found on the main level of the east side of the BARC while the Zag Shop will be located on the ground level of the west side of the building. Sub Connection, meanwhile, will move to the former multipurpose room of Welch Hall.
More than 500 students, faculty, staff, administrators, project partners and alumni gathered to pay final respects to the COG, a facility that has served campus since 1954. Project leaders shared renderings, floor plans and fact sheets with visitors. President Thayne McCulloh and Executive Vice President Marty Martin made formal remarks about the significance of the COG and the opportunity the University Center presents. Finally, attendees signed special farewell messages on the columns and wall of the west side of the COG. View photos of this event.
