The University of Manitoba will receive $47million over three years from the Manitoba government for its Project Domino.
The money was announced today by Manitoba’s Advance Education and Literacy Minister.
The project involves the movement of 13 faculties and schools between different buildings on campus. Buildings on campus will be renovated, a faculty or school will move into the renovated building, and the building they were formerly housed in will be renovated. Hence the name Project Domino.
Personally, I believe the plan is good for the university. I am saddened to see the university convert Tache Hall from a residence building to the academic space for faculties of music and art.
I had the opportunity to speak to Robert Kerr, vice-president academic of the university earlier this week. He explained to me the reason why the university is converting the space, and it is sound. Tache Hall was built nearly 100 years ago and the costs involved in the renovation of the building make it prohibitive to continue to function as a residence. Residence buildings must operate as cost-recovery operations. In order to recover the cost of the renovation, the cost of residence in the building would be astronomical.
The university will be replacing Tache residence with a new residence building. Here’s hoping they learned from the mistakes of the last residence building.