Locations for the storm shelters approved at last March’s OU Board of Regents meetings have been chosen, and the shelters should be ready for use by the 2015 spring tornado season.
The $12 million plan is divided into two separate projects. The first project, estimated to cost $6 million, will construct shelters for the on-campus apartments Traditions Square East, Traditions Square West and Kraettli Apartments, said Brian Holderread, director of Architectural and Engineering Services.
The Kraettli Apartments shelter will be located on the corner of Wadsack Drive. The Traditions Square East shelter will be located on the north side of the apartment complex, and the Traditions Square West shelter will be located on the south side of the complex, next to Imhoff Road, according to the Sept. 2014 Oklahoma Board of Regents agenda.
Workers are expected to break ground on those shelters before the end of the calendar year, Holderread said.
The shelters will be ready for use by the 2015 spring tornado season and will likely be completed by fall 2015, Holderread said.
The second project includes constructing similar shelters for the residence hall towers Walker Center, Couch Center and Adams Center, Holderread said.
These shelters are being built later because space around the residence halls is limited and the size of the freshman class, who primarily live in the residence hall towers, grows each year, Holderread said. Planners are trying to account for that growth, Holderread said.
Several spaces near the towers have been selected for the shelters, but no decisions have been made yet, Holderread said.
As for the other residence halls, Headington Hall will undergo construction to make the living space more tornado safe. Construction will occur over breaks when fewer students are living in the building, Holderread said.
Cate Center has been evaluated for improvements, but no decisions have been made, Holderread said.
Future residence halls will include tornado safety areas when they are constructed, said OU President David Boren at the Sept. 18 Oklahoma Board of Regents meeting.
All storm shelters will be above ground, multi-purpose structures, Holderread said.
The shelters are being built as part of the Campus Master Plan of Capital Improvement Projects proposed by Boren to make living on campus safer for students, according to the agenda.
