Centennial Hall Ground-Breaking Ceremony

By TG BRANFALT JR.
Staff Writer

The official ground-breaking ceremony for Centennial Hall was held last week. It was attended by Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings, state senators and assemblymen, Saint Rose faculty, staff and students.

Work began on Centennial Hall, named in honor of the 2020 centennial anniversary of the college, last May. The ceremony was purposely delayed until the start of the Fall semester so students could be included.

“Centennial Hall is a dream come true for Saint Rose and our students,” said Saint Rose President R. Mark Sullivan. “We talk about

keeping our students here in the Capital Region, to start that you have to get them here. In order to get them here you have to provide safe, secure facilities,” he said.

The new $17.5 million, 94,000 sq. ft. residence hall, scheduled for completion in August 2012, will house 224 Saint Rose juniors and seniors. The living spaces will be organized as two and four person suite-style apartments with a cooking space, living room and dining room. The hall will also feature bicycle storage and laundry facilities and group study areas on each floor.

A convenience store, Provisions On-Demand, and a combination burger studio and café will also be located in the facility.

“Centennial Hall will provide students with outstanding amenities and a bridge between college life and independence,” Sullivan said.

“I cannot wait to move in as resident director of this facility after I finish my presidency,” he joked.

After the Hall is built the number of Saint Rose students living on campus will jump from 1,037 to 1,461.

Bond financing funds the project and was secured through Albany Capital Resources Corporation.

The Hall will incorporate green features such as single stream glass, paper, plastic and metal recycling, as well energy efficient closed loop geothermal heat pump systems for heating and cooling.

The design and installation of the exterior walls will exceed Albany building codes in order to reduce the building’s energy consumption.

The community theme was reinforced by the remarks of Mayor Jerry Jennings, who described Sullivan as his “close friend.”

“I am sick and tired of [Pine Hills] being referred to as ‘the student ghetto’,” Jennings said, “What Saint Rose has done is set a new template and tenor for all development that is taking place down here,” he said.