The community is cordially invited to join the university in the grand opening of Suites on Main North on Founders Day, Sept. 10, from 1 to 5 p.m. It is the first of two buildings to be completed. Suites on Main South will open in January.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the facility's 182-seat lecture hall/theater, with remarks from Jane France, president of the board of directors of Clarion University Foundation, Inc.; Karen Whitney, university president; Tyler Kitzmiller, Clarion Students' Association chairman; Richard David, representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Wayne Brosius, Clarion County commissioner and J. David Walters, Clarion mayor.
Refreshments by Chartwells, music and tours of the building will be available throughout the afternoon. Free parking is offered in lot R5 on Grand Avenue. A campus map is available at www.clarion.edu/campusmap.
The $61 million Suites on Main project, built with Silver Leadership in Energy and Environment Design standards, features a geothermal heating and cooling system. One hundred and thirty-eight geothermal wells and 50 miles of piping take advantage of steady underground temperatures to heat the buildings in winter and cool during summer.
LEED standards encourage use of sustainable building materials – recycled materials available nearby to save on transportation costs – and sustainable operations after completion such as installing the geothermal heating/cooling system to save on utility costs.
Both buildings total more than 230,000 square feet with 373 suites. Space for 728 students is available. Suites on Main South will house the Clarion University Store, Starbucks and Denny's Den, the second restaurant of its kind in the United States, catering specifically to university students.
Extensive, multi-year market research was completed of students and future students to determine that suite-style housing was the way to go. Suite-style housing is the current expectation of students whereas shared resident hall rooms was the expectation 50 years ago.
Wilkinson and Nair halls are scheduled for demolition this winter, and replacement parking will be installed in their footprint early next summer.