Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

One-and-a-half million dollars of a $9.1 million energy-saving project is going to be spent on tearing down some of the small white bungalows on Montana State University's campus that have housed more than five decades of students. However, most of these bungalows have been vacant for a number of years.

"Some of them have been vacant for up to eight years," said Tom Stump, MSU Director of Auxiliary Services.

Out of the 138 bungalows, 55 of them will be torn down. Most of these homes are located right off of West College Street on Jefferson Court, but to the people who still live in the homes this news doesn't come as a surprise because they were notified months ago about the change.

"We've started working with that group several months ago notifying them that this was in the works and now we will just work on finding options for them as openings come up in our other facilities," said Stump.

Eight of the 55 homes that are being demolished this summer are currently inhabited.

"As part of this project, this area will be turned back into a grass field," said Stump. The long-term goal is to build an academic building on the land.

"The other large components of the project include lighting in all the auxiliary buildings and installing new windows for three of our residence halls," said Stump.

The entire energy-saving project is scheduled to be finished in the next 12 to 18 months, and these changes are estimated to save MSU money in the long run. Stump said, "we are estimating an annual savings of $370,000."