The new Optometry build­ing is cur­rently right on sched­ule and will be fin­ished within less than a year.

The new Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) Building, known as The Center for Collaborative Healthcare Education, is going to be com­pletely fin­ished on Jan. 3, 2011, accord­ing to Tim Ward, Project Manager for Clark Construction Company. Clark Construction Company has been work­ing on the con­struc­tion of the build­ing since May 2009.

“The project is on sched­ule, due some very coop­er­a­tive weather this win­ter,” said Ward.

Ward said exca­va­tion of the build­ing is fin­ished. The foun­da­tions are com­pleted and the slabs on decks have been poured on the south half of the sec­ond and third floor. He said they would begin pour­ing slab on the first floor soon. The struc­ture steel of the build­ing is 95 per­cent done.

“It’s been going very well,” said Michael Hughes, Associate Vice President of the Physical Plant.

“We’re start­ing to enclose the build­ing and put the metal studs around, that’s going to be some notice­able progress you’ll see in the next week or so,” said Hughes.

Hughes said they added a sec­ond work shift to the project begin­ning at 3–4 a.m. so the trucks can get through with­out being delayed by uni­ver­sity traffic.

In the Allied Health park­ing lot on West cam­pus, the Clark Construction team is cur­rently con­duct­ing an on-going exca­va­tion. Hughes said that by the end of this week or early next week, the side­walk would be re-opened

Ward said there have not been recent prob­lems expe­ri­enced dur­ing the con­struc­tion process of the building.

In terms of bud­get, Hughes said that they are doing very well, but are slightly under. He cau­tions that the Ferris com­mu­nity stays safe and con­scious around the con­struc­tion area with truck traf­fic and heavy equipment.

“We don’t want any­one to walk so close they’ll end up get­ting hurt,” said Hughes.

MCO will offer vision screen­ings to the com­mu­nity and stu­dents. It will also include an Eye Care/Vision Clinic that will offer clin­i­cal optom­e­try stu­dents, interns and residents.

In addi­tion, it will be the first aca­d­e­mic build­ing in uni­ver­sity his­tory to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) cer­ti­fied.