Gift secures rest of NAS building funding

After receiving a gift of about $3 million, enough money has been donated to start building the Native American Center at the southwest corner of the Oval.
Construction on the center will begin in mid to late October and last 15 to 18 months, said Bob Duringer, vice president for Administration and Finance.
Last March, the estimated and donated amount of money for the center was $6.6 million. With the increased costs for construction materials and fuel, the governor’s office amended the project estimate to $9.7 million. The recent gift, from an anonymous donor received a month ago, left the project just shy of $10 million.
The state will provide the funding for the operation and maintenance fees each year after the building is completed.
Before construction can start on the center, the Board of Regents has to approve the new estimate at their Sept. 25 meeting in Butte.

After receiving a gift of about $3 million, enough money has been donated to start building the Native American Center at the southwest corner of the Oval.
Construction on the center will begin in mid to late October and last 15 to 18 months, said Bob Duringer, vice president for Administration and Finance.
Last March, the estimated and donated amount of money for the center was $6.6 million. With the increased costs for construction materials and fuel, the governor’s office amended the project estimate to $9.7 million. The recent gift, from an anonymous donor received a month ago, left the project just shy of $10 million.
The state will provide the funding for the operation and maintenance fees each year after the building is completed.
Before construction can start on the center, the Board of Regents has to approve the new estimate at their Sept. 25 meeting in Butte.
Starting Sunday, UM will advertise for three weekends in the Missoulian for contract bids. A contract will be chosen by early October so construction can start by the end of the month, Duringer said.
Eric Simonsen, of A&E Architects in Billings, is the principal architect for the building. Daniel Glenn worked with A&E to design the building.
The two-story Native American Center will be built just off the Oval between the Math Building and Lommasson Center.
“When you look at (the building site) it doesn’t look like it’s big enough for a building, but it is,” said Wade Davies, the Native American Studies chair.
The center will house the Native American Studies Department, American Indian Student Services, Native American club rooms, a student lounge, a computer room, offices, classrooms and a large gathering area. Including the unfinished basement, the building is 30,000 square feet.
During construction, students will have to enter the Math Building through the rear entrance, said Kevin Krebsbach, associate director of Planning and Construction. The sidewalk in front of the Math Building will be blocked off along with the southwest quadrant of the Oval. The sidewalk leading from Craig Hall to the Grizzly statue will remain open.
Construction workers will use the access road in front of Craig Hall leftover from the steam tunnel project for access to the Native American Center construction.
“It’s just obviously nice to have a new building,” Davies said. “We like the house but it doesn’t have room for growth. We need the space for the students.”
amy.faxon@umontana.edu