BLINN BOARD APPROVES EQUIPMENT PURCHASES FOR STEI BUILDING
The Blinn Board of Trustees approved the purchase of equipment for the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Innovation Building currently under construction on the Brenham Campus at its meeting Tuesday.
Trustees authorized the College to negotiate and execute a contract with VWR for $120,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FFE) for the STEI Building.
According to College administrators, the overall project budget of $35.5 million includes a soft cost budget of $7.8 million. The soft cost budget includes $5.2 million for FFE items, $2.4 million for professional services, and $200,000 for central plant upgrades. Funds for this project are available in the 2019 series bond funds.
The new building, spanning 72,000 square feet and standing three stories tall, will feature 17,000 square feet of laboratory space and a 3,000-square-foot innovation center that will include a 3D printing lab, soldering space, robotics area, and a space where students can work with interrelated computing devices.
The innovation lab will also include a virtual reality space and a high-tech fabrication shop where students can use laser cutters to make precisely fitted materials. There will also be expanded lab spaces for Blinn’s science, engineering, and health science programs. The facility is expected to be complete in time for Blinn’s Fall 2021 semester.
Also on Tuesday, the board agreed to negotiate and execute a guaranteed maximum price for a new Phase II academic building on the RELLIS Campus. The three-story, 80,000 square-foot facility located north of the Walter C. Schwartz Building will feature an engineering lab, computer science classroom, information technology lab, esports arena, student services suite, 19 lecture classrooms, study spaces, faculty and administrative suites, and meeting rooms. The project also includes faculty/staff and visitor parking, sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, a circular entry drive, and a plaza.
Construction is scheduled to begin in February, with a substantial completion target of May 2022. The facility will open for student use in time for the Fall 2022 semester.
Trustees also ordered a May 1st general election for the trustee positions representing Precincts One and Four, currently held by Reverend Randy Wells and Rebecca Ehlert. Both positions serve six-year terms. The board also authorized the College to negotiate and execute an elections services contract with Washington County, to negotiate and execute agreements with local government entities for joint elections on May 1st, and to set the date, time, and place for drawings to determine the order of candidates for the same position to appear on the ballot.