Swain Hall at Minot State University in Minot, North Dakota

The Swain Hall renovation project is coming in under budget so far, said Roger Kluck, director of planet services at Minot State University.

The original estimate was $13.3 million, but it could end up costing about $1 million under that original estimate, said Kluck. About $5 million of the project is being funded through federal stimulus dollars and the rest is coming through state and local funding. Kluck said the $1 million being saved out of the stimulus dollars could be directed toward another campus project.

MSU officials are pleased by the savings and the progress on the renovation. Kluck and public information director Mark Lyman said the project has benefited from a relatively warm November, which has enabled construction crews to keep working, and from good work by Mattson Construction.

About 50 construction workers were at the site on Tuesday morning working on the outside of the building, doing concrete and steel work and masonry. When the outside work is finished, workers will be able to concentrate on the interior.

Lyman said the first floor of the building is scheduled to be ready by early next summer and staff will be able to move into their offices. Work will continue throughout the summer and should be completed by early fall.

The building will be the home for the Teacher Education and Human performance majors and for the new athletic training major. The renovated building will include about 11 new classrooms. There will be a gym for class use for physical education and fitness majors.

"This brings it up into the 21st century," said Lyman.

Kluck added that professors and students have been working in offices and classrooms designed for the 1950s and they will appreciate their new settings. Many of those professors are temporarily housed in Old Main while the Swain Hall renovation project continues.