During the fall semester, NIU administrators hope to know exactly when renovation plans can move forward for Cole Hall.

On July 14, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the capital bill into law, which includes $8 million for the Cole Hall renovation plans. Initial plans include turning Room 101, where the Feb. 14, 2008 shootings occurred, into a non-classroom space. Room 102, the west auditorium, will be renovated to fit the needs of the campus, said Jeff Daurer, director of capital budget and planning.

“Our plans continue to be to upgrade the one classroom,” said Daurer. “It is going to be a complete face-lift, improve the technology significantly, bring it into this century, change the seat count, make it easy for people to come and go. Make the lighting proper.”

However, the time line for implementing the plans is still unknown. The Capital Development Board is responsible for handling construction work for state institutions. The board is responsible for holding the contracts and doing the architectural search, with input from the university, Daurer said.

“At this point, the governor’s office, the Capital Development Board have not released the release schedule. They have to figure out how that’s going to be rolled out,” said Daurer. “We don’t know where we are on the release schedule for Cole Hall.”

Daurer hopes that the schedule will be released during this fall term and that work can begin in 2010. However, there is a great deal of work that needs to be done prior to the first construction day.

“We have to design it first, get all the design work done, all the architecture, engineering, mechanicals. All of that takes a significant amount of time,” said Daurer.

Opinions of Cole Hall renovations are mixed around campus, but Katherine Smith, political science graduate student, said she can see both sides.

“For NIU, I think it will be a good thing. I think that we need another big auditorium like we are missing because it has just been sitting there,” Smith said. “I think it will probably be healing for some people to actually use the building again instead of just sitting there wasting space.”

Smith spent her undergraduate years at NIU and said she does not want Cole Hall to reopen.

“On the other side of the perspective would be me. I dread the day I have to go back in there. I will never forget that day,” said Smith. “They did a survey of the students of what we thought should happen to it and a majority said to do what is being planned to do, but personally I would just as soon just flattened it and started over. I think it is an eyesore on the campus.”

Once the release schedule is announced, more details will be determined, Daurer said.

“When it is done, it will be a great product for our students,” said Daurer. “It is a good facility; it has good structure.”

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