Three new renovation projects in Montgomery Hall are filling the hole left by the Nursing School.

Conrad Miller, project manager for the physical plant, said the three projects include building three new laboratories, remodeling three existing labs, creating a darkroom, remodeling several faculty offices and replacing all locks in the building. The job also includes building a greenhouse that will serve as a research center for the Plant Molecular Biology Center, Miller said.

Miller said the greenhouse is being constructed on the south side of Montgomery Hall. He said the greenhouse project should be completed by mid-April of this year.

The molecular biology center will be in the southwest corner of the building, Biology Department Chairman Marvin Starzyk said. The north wing of the building, where the Nursing School used to be, is now being used as office space for the Biology Department, Starzyk said. Three new labs will be built near exisiting labs in the south wing of the building, Starzyk said.

The NIU Nursing School moved to the former Roberts Elementary School on Normal Road last August to have more space, Starzyk said. He said the new facilities give the nursing school about 2.5 times more space than the old facilities.

Miller said the project to remodel the office spaces, build a darkroom and replace the building’s locks will be done within a two to three year period. Miller said the cost of the project will be about $220,000, which will come from “institutional funds,” such as general revenue funds within NIU and grants.

The greenhouse project also is funded by institutional funds and is expected to cost about $263,000, Miller said.

The laboratory projects will cost about $303,500 from a state Build Illinois grant, Miller said. The job will renovate three existing labs and create three new ones from classroom space, he said.

Work on the labs will start on May 16 and should be finished by next October, Miller said. He said the labs needed more lighting, the “work islands” needed to be raised and equipment needed to be installed.

Arnold Hampel, director of the plant molecular biology center said the center was created in 1985, but “now we’re putting it together.” Hampel said the biology department hired three assistant professors and a scientific director for the center.

Hampel said he hopes “to have a center of research excellence. (I hope the center) will be a center to provide a source of research and knowledge for academics and technology.”

Hampel said the center will benefit students, because it will bring recognition for NIU, which later will help students get jobs. “The reputation of a school is the key to getting a good job,” he said.