PLYMOUTH, N.H.-
Construction on the Plymouth State University Ice Arena and Welcome Center took a momentous step forward Friday, Oct. 30, with a ‘last beam signing’ ceremony at the construction site on Route 175-A in Holderness.
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| PSU Athletic Director John Clark is all smiles as he signs the Last Beam in the Oct. 30 ceremony. |
The last steel beam of the project was signed by a variety of stakeholders of the $16 million dollar facility, including the chair of the Board of Trustees, members of the President’s Council, the Cabinet, Student Senate, men and women’s hockey teams, Health and Human Performance students and faculty, Athletics Department staff and coaches, and civic leaders from Holderness and Plymouth. PSU President Sara Jayne Steen said the ceremony not only marks a milestone in the construction process, but also celebrates those who have made the project possible.
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| Members of PSU’s Student Senate and University administrators pose with the “Last Beam” in front of Plymouth State’s new $16 million dollar Ice Arena and Welcome Center. Dozens of University students, athletes, administrators, donors and local officials signed the last beam, which will be hoisted into place November 9. The facility, which features green technology for energy savings and sustainability, is scheduled to open next summer. |
“We are here today to thank those many, many people who have turned what once was a dream into the reality that is rising so beautifully before us,” Steen said. “We are extremely proud to bring this new ‘front door’ to the University and our region.”
The chair of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees, Ed Dupont, said the building will benefit the state.
“We take great pride in Plymouth State University and its aspirations for a better future for all of New Hampshire,” said Dupont. “The beauty and elegance of this project is its aim to benefit not only PSU and its students, but also to improve employment in the region, enhance opportunities for physical activity for local residents, bolster the tourism industry in central and northern New Hampshire, and expose more prospective students to the University.”
Lindsay Harrington, Student Senate speaker, spoke of students’ involvement in the project. She imagined the generations of students to follow, “who may think there’s always been an ice arena in Plymouth – as we think of the HUB or the Silver Center for the Performing Arts.”
The captain of the PSU men’s hockey team, senior Chris Chambers, said the University is taking a big step toward the future.
“I’m very proud for this institution,” Chambers said. “Not only will this be great for the University and students, but it will bring a lot more people to the community from around the state.”
The beam will be hoisted into place by Monday, November 9, where it will be visible to the public. The structure is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2010.
For more information about this release, contact Bruce Lyndes, PSU Media Relations Mgr., (603) 535-2775 or blyndes@plymouth.edu
Overcast. Temperature: 43; Wind: W at 11; Conditions as of Sat May 25 at 07:00 PM EDT