Delta College will move ahead with plans to convert an underutilized lecture room in its science wing into a new classroom/lab for the schools microbiology program.

Deltas board of trustees Tuesday evening gave the go-ahead for the project by awarding a $559,226 contract to Saginaw-based J.R. Heineman & Sons, Inc., the low bidder for the work.

The colleges microbiology program is currently located in the Health Professions Building (F-Wing) and will now be relocated to the C-wing so it will be near Deltas other science and biology programs. Larry Ramseyer, Deltas facilities management director, said the move is prudent for a number of reasons, most notably the impact it will have on student success. It also reflects a shift in instructional philosophy.

Over the years instruction has shifted away from large lecture-style rooms to smaller classrooms, Ramseyer said. As a result, we noticed this 103-seat lecture room was getting less and less usage. We determined that the microbiology program was a perfect match for this space.

The C-wing was renovated in 1998 as part of Deltas Science & Learning Technology project and was the preferred site then for the microbiology program but budget issues scrapped that plan.

A lot of other biology program spaces are similarly designed to our plans for the microbiology renovations, Ramseyer said. Its going to provide a closer connection to other biology and science programs, consolidate lab support space and open up space in the F-Wing for the other health and wellness programs. This all adds up to a better learning environment for students.

Work is expected to begin on April 30 and be substantially completed before the fall 2012 semester, Ramseyer said. Total price tag for the project is $750,000.

Trustees also awarded a $133,800 contract to Wobig Construction of Saginaw to upgrade restrooms and a conference room at Deltas Midland Center. Ramseyer said the 50-year-old building, originally designed to serve as a Catholic Girls High School in 1962, needs a total makeover but that doesnt catch the attention of people quite like inadequate restroom facilities do.

Students and staff have consistently identified the existing restroom facilities as outdated and inadequate, Ramseyer said. They need updating, and one of the critical points is to make them ADA compliant.

Delta has owned the facility since 1991 and serves about 1,500 students annually, college officials said.

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Delta College plans work at college, Midland Center