Not Every College Needs Multimillion-Dollar Projects

The Scheller Student Center cost $550,000. (Lehigh Carbon Community College photos)

Big campus construction projects — especially those with big price tags and big-name architects — are a lot more likely to attract attention than more modest undertakings. But a student center dedicated this month at Lehigh Carbon Community College’s campus in Tamaqua, Pa., met the college’s needs without running into seven or eight figures. And it did so by reusing an existing structure — a highly sustainable approach.

The 4,000-square-foot building, which formerly housed a local fire company, was renovated for $550,000, and now offers students a lounge, a game room, and a bookstore, all on the upper level. The college hopes to establish a community health center on the lower level. The architect for the project was Dale Roth.

A state grant covered $100,000 of the construction cost. Meanwhile, the lead donors, Ernest and Roberta Scheller, also gave the college $1.5-million for scholarships aimed at encouraging students to go on to four-year institutions. The Tamaqua campus, which opened in 2003, is one of three branch campuses of the college, whose main campus is in Schnecksville.

The building previously housed a fire company.