The $90 million Lab Sciences Building is on course for completion in 2020 after a historic year of rainfall in 2018, Tennessee Valley Authority spokesman Travis Bickey said.
Cookeville amassed 82.55 inches of rain in 2018 passing 1998’s record of 76.96 inches, Bickey said.
The building construction team pushed through the rain and is on pace for completion next spring, Dewayne Wright, senior director of public relations, said.
The building is located on the site of a former parking lot directly north of Ellington and Warf Hall. The building occupies 150,000 square feet and is the largest academic building on campus, project manager Dan Warren said.
Construction of a lecture hall area of the building began this year. The lecture halls are the portion closest to Peachtree Avenue.
“This part of the project connects to the main building by a covered walkway and features two large lecture halls,” Wright said.
The building includes labs for earth sciences, environmental sciences and physics. The building houses the chemistry department and part of the biology department.
Although the construction of the Roaden University Center was completed in February, the bridge and balcony had to be resurfaced last week because they were too slippery.
“The bridge and balcony will reopen for use after the completion, inspection and approval of the work,” Wright said.
