Update on Parking Construction at Julian Hall

Samantha Hartje and Charles Streeter

 Following the demolition of Julian and Brookman Halls, construction of a new parking lot and renovations of the South Dakota Union remain on schedule amid winter weather. 

The Assistant Vice President of Facilities Management, Brian Limoges gave updates on the construction process.

            “We are currently finishing the demolition/removal of the old buildings and have the design for the new parking lot almost completed and will be ready to be made public for contractors to bid on in February and March of 2023,” Limoges said. Large-scale demolitions and constructions usually involve contractors that specialize in Contract Lift Projects.

            While the weather this winter has caused minor issues for students and faculty at USD, Limoges said demolition and construction are still on schedule. 

“We won’t be starting construction of the new parking lot until April and May of 2023; the weather won’t have any effect on the new parking lot. It has caused a couple minor delays in the demolition of the three buildings, but we are expecting the demolition and removal to be completed by the end of this week. We are still on schedule,” Limoges said. 

            As parking space is limited for USD, the new lot will benefit students and faculty on campus. New additions have been added to the campus with minimal parking. 

“This new parking lot on the southwest corner of campus will provide much needed parking for students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors. Parking in this part of campus is limited, especially since the Health Science building was built, which was built on the old parking lot for Lee Medical building,” Limoges said. 

            The new parking lot is set to be finished in Aug. of 2023. Parking will be available for students in the fall semester. 

 Senior Construction Manager Brian Muhlbeier said renovation of the South Dakota Union (SDU) plans to begin in the spring, with projected completion for the Fall 2024 semester.

The South Dakota Union will house the psychology department, which temporarily moved to Noteboom Hall. 

“The psychology department put up with a lot,” said Muhlbeier.

The renovation will create additional classrooms and include spaces for counseling and clinical testing. The floor plan will be optimized to increase usable square footage while also adding a second stairwell that will replace the existing exterior fire escape.

Muhlbeier also said that they will respect the building’s history by keeping much of the original architecture in the foyer and stairwell intact.