Pfeiffer breaks ground
Plans include new residence hall, energy management update

Pfeiffer University’s Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new residence hall and implementation of a new energy management plan.

The two projects represent $5.2 million in improvements to the institution’s Misenheimer campus.

“The residence hall and energy management plan build on the momentum of our campus transformation plan, which has already significantly enhanced campus life for our students,” Pfeiffer’s President Chuck Ambrose told the trustees during a meeting at the Charlotte campus.

“These latest projects are coming online as we get ready to reopen our newly renovated main classroom facility, Jane Freeman, and a new, state-of-the-art science facility.”

The new residence hall, which will be located on the south side of the Misenheimer campus, will include 72 private bedrooms and bathrooms around a shared apartment-style common space. The addition of the new rooms will allow the college to take existing rooms out of use and renovate them.

Groundbreaking for the new building will start as soon as next week, and the new facility will be available for students by the start of the next academic year in August.

Plans for the new residence hall also address the reconfiguration of all parking, green space and traffic on the south side of the Misenheimer campus. Officials also expect to complete the new science laboratory facility in that area of the campus by May.

The energy management plan will provide an additional $2.4 million in improvements to campus lighting, boilers and numerous other energy-related projects.

NORESCO, an energy service company located in Westborough, Mass., will implement the various elements of the plan, aimed at making both Pfeiffer campuses more energy efficient. Along with many other improvements, NORESCO will retrofit or replace more than 4,000 lighting fixtures and replace 4,000 feet of sewer line.

“With the help of NORESCO, the environments in our classrooms, athletic facilities, offices and residential buildings will be improved while significantly decreasing energy costs,” Pfeiffer Vice President for Advancement David Olive said.