By STEVE REAGAN
Staff Writer
Let's get to work.
That was the message signaled by Howard College trustees during their monthly meeting Monday as they gave the green light to more than $20 million worth of renovations and upgrades to the Big Spring campus.
District voters approved the renovations in a May 2007 bond election and trustees and college officials have been busy planning the best ways and means of spending that money ever since.

With Monday's OK, however, planning will take a back seat to work.

A massive upgrade of plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation systems across campus begins in earnest in July. Those projects, which will comprise the lion's share of the $21 million bond price tag, should be completed by January 2010.

In addition, trustees approved three stages of building construction and renovation.

The first major project, construction of an addition to the science building, should begin in November and take about a year, officials said. The $75,000 addition will house chemistry and microbiology laboratories.

Phase two calls for extensive renovation to the administration building annex, Horace Garrett Building and the student union building. Work on those projects should be completed by late May 2009.

The final phase will call for renovation of the administration and practical arts buildings. If enough bond money is left after that work is done, renovation of the music building will occur sometime in 2010.

The campus-wide work will undoubtedly create some disruptions, but trustees adopted a “sooner the better” attitude toward the projects.

“This is going to inconvenience students and, undoubtedly, everyone else on campus,” Trustee Murray Murphy said. “But it's vital to get this accomplished as soon as possible. The sooner we get on it, the faster things will return to normal on campus.”

College President Dr. Cheryl Sparks said officials will have to take a creative approach to scheduling during the next two years, moving classroom space around, depending on the amount of work being done on a particular building.

“For instance, in order to begin work on the main science building, we'll have to finish work on the addition first,” she said. “That will give us the swing space so that once it's complete, we can get out of the main building.”

All projects are scheduled to be completed by October 2010, Sparks said.

• Renewal of memorandums of understanding with the college's foundations.
• Bids for food service and door replacement on the San Angelo campus and equipment containers, janitorial supplies and athletic equipment and supplies for Big Spring.
• Creation of four new personnel positions, three at the San Angelo campus and one (a history instructor) at Big Spring.
• Re-appointment of the firm of Lee, Reynolds and Welch as the college's auditor.
• A three-year partial abatement for Western Motels Inc, which has plans to construct a 48-bed Luxury Inn motel on N. Highway 87.