K-State's Jardine Apartments to open first new building

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Source: Deborah Kohl, 785-532-3790, dkohl@k-state.edu
http://housing.k-state.edu/jardine/index.php
News release prepared by: Deborah Kohl

Thursday, February 8, 2007

K-STATE'S JARDINE APARTMENTS TO OPEN FIRST NEW BUILDING

MANHATTAN -- A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the first newly constructed building at the Jardine Apartment Complex, the on-campus apartments at Kansas State University, will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13.

The ceremony will be at Building 9, the first building to be occupied as a part of the $104 million Jardine redevelopment project. Tours of the new building will be available to the public by appointment beginning at 1 p.m. Feb. 13. To schedule an appointment, call 785-532-3790. Building 9 is just west of the Frith Community Center at the end of Harry Road.

The project, which started in summer 2005, is changing the face of on-campus university housing in the state of Kansas, said Chuck Werring, assistant vice president of housing and dining services at K-State. The 10-year project will offer a mix of student housing options, all in a community-like setting. Plans also include a town center with retail opportunities, an academic resource center and community services offices.

"The entire project is focused around four community cornerstones: global, education, imagination, and tradition, which have set the tone and the dynamic for life in the complex," Werring said. "These cornerstones were chosen by residents of the Jardine complex, and have been incorporated into every phase of the redevelopment project, as well as plans for future community development."

New residents of Building 9 are a mix of students from K-State residence halls and current Jardine students who completed an extensive application process to be part of this special opportunity, Werring said. They also will participate in focus groups and will serve as the voice for the future residents of Jardine, he said.

"I look forward to the next semester, and hope that I will be privileged enough to continue my experiences with tradition, education, imagination and global ideas as I continue my education here at Kansas State University. This is vital for me and will give me a chance to see what it is like to live outside of the residence halls," said Ronnie Hernandez, freshman in sociology, Great Bend, and a resident of Building 9.

"I hope living at Jardine will enrich and diversify my life and leave me with experiences I can take beyond college and into my career," said Zachariah Marteney, sophomore in biology, Derby, another resident of Building 9.

Another 14 buildings in the project are nearing completion and are scheduled to open in August, Werring said. Apartment styles to be offered in the new construction include two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, as well as loft and studio spaces.

Most of Jardine's 19 remaining apartment buildings and six laundry facilities were built between 1957 and 1963, with a community center added in 1990. The complex currently offers on-campus apartment living for married students, students with families, and single undergraduate and graduate students. A significant number of Jardine's residents are international students.

"The master plan for the redevelopment is in continuous progress," Werring said. "Schematics are being finalized, floor plans are being chosen and materials for the new apartments are being selected. The architecture and landscape design will create imaginative open spaces where students, faculty and staff can interact."

The design of the redevelopment project involved feedback from across campus and will allow for new programming connections, he said.

"This redevelopment project is all about serving our students. Jardine is a unique student community where we have established a foundation of excellence with the development of community cornerstones which will guide every aspect of the project," Werring said. "These cornerstones focus on a sense of tradition, K-State's mission as an educational institution, our global approach to housing and our desire to provide a living experience enhanced by imagination."

No tax dollars are being used for the redevelopment project. Primary funding for the project will come from bonds issued by the Kansas Development Finance Authority and private contributions. K-State housing and dining services receives no funding from state, city, local or university sources.