Students walk away from the Bellows Academic Center on the first day of classes Aug. 23. The center is one of the buildings on campus that is being considered for renovations.

MARSHALL — Big changes are planned in the next several years for the Physical Education and Bellows Academic Center buildings on the Southwest Minnesota State University campus.

SMSU is seeking $1.156 million in legislative bond funding to pay for design work on a 55,000 square foot renovation project. The design stage will be followed by a $28 million construction process to modernize the two buildings.

SMSU Vice President for Finance and Administration Deb Kerkaert said the construction could begin in 2025, if legislators approve funding in the bonding bill that will be developed in 2024.

“It depends on when we get the money,” Kerkaert said “If funding is approved in 2024, we’ll have construction the following year. If not, we’ll keep working to obtain the funds.”

She said SMSU stands a good chance of getting state funds as proposed because of the need to modernize buildings that were among the first to be built on campus in the 1960s.

The project is the first of several SMSU renovation concepts likely to be proposed within the next 15 to 20 years. Other areas of the campus have similar improvement needs.

“Almost all of our buildings are the same age,” she said. “They’re reaching an age when they need renovation, both because long term wear and because of changes in facility design standards.”

The proposed renovation will lead to a new public entrance off Mustang Trail, one that provides direct access to Bellows Academic Center and the Physical Education building.

There will also be a new second floor connection between the two buildings. It will improve traffic flow between the academic areas and the Recreation Athletic Facility.

The project will also lead to a centralized location for SMSU’s exercise science program, which has grown into the largest single department on campus in terms of enrollment.

“Right now they’re scattered in several different places,” Kerkaert said. “This will bring it all together. We’ll also have a general fitness center that will enable more access to fitness equipment for the entire student population.”

The Bellows building will be equipped with new active learning classrooms, lab spaces and student research areas, all of which will reflect how technology is a much greater part of the post-secondary learning process than it was in the 1960s.

“People will notice a big change with this project, like what we had when the Student Center was constructed and when the library was redone,” Kerkaert said. “The renovated buildings will look different and will be more suited to modern needs.”

SMSU Director of Facilities Tony Nubile said proposed construction will follow a $1.5 million pool area renovation scheduled to take place in 2022. It includes improvements to the pool decking, plumbing, drains and plaster.

He said the entire set of plans will result in an estimated five percent savings on total energy usage. When the savings is spread out over 55,000 square feet, the result will be at least $50,000 saved that can be used for other purposes.

In addition, the project will eliminate $17 million from SMSU’s deferred maintenance estimate. The university has a total of $144 million in maintenance that would have been spent by now if it was based only on end-of-life estimates for fixtures and equipment.

“It will take out a significant share of the maintenance dollars that would need to be spent in the foreseeable future,” Nubile said. “Instead of just maintaining older facilities, we’ll be spending money on renovations.”

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees voted in June to put SMSU’s design stage on the bonding bill list for 2022 after it scored high in a statewide project scoring process.

Legislative visits to discuss the planned improvements are likely in the remainder of 2021. The bonding bill is expected to be approved near the end of the 2022 legislative session, probably in May, 2022.

Nubile said the proposal is designed with the needs of students in mind. All of the components should enhance the 21st century college experience for students who choose to attend SMSU, and should therefore serve as a valuable admissions recruitment resource.

“Prospective students like to see a modern appearance,” Nubile said. “The buildings will look new, and they’ll incorporate the changes in the teaching process that have occurred during the past 50 years.”