The University of Montana is taking steps to embark on a $100 million project to demolish three decrepit residence halls and replace them with a single modernized alternative.
Craig, Duniway and Elrod halls collectively hold about 600 beds. With an average age of about 80 years, they also have steep deferred maintenance costs that would require major investment in order to update. Their poor condition doesn’t pose any safety risk to dorm residents. But the obvious wear-and-tear coupled with the out-of-date utilities makes it hard to sell the vision of UM as a top-tier institution to current and prospective students, UM President Seth Bodnar told the Board of Regents at their March meeting in Dillon.
“Our students are comfortable, they are safe in these dorms,” he said. “But what we are doing today is not sustainable without significant investment into those current structures that we don’t think is wise.”
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This new residence hall would be situated in the southwest corner of campus, adjacent to where the existing dorms sit. According to a presentation given to the regents, new parking structures on the north side of campus near the Adams Center as well as the south side of campus near the Skaggs building would be required.
Other short-term parking solutions would be necessary to help offset the project’s impact while under construction. UM suggests the number of parking spaces could be bulked up near Washington-Grizzly Stadium, at the site of the demolished residence halls and on converted tennis courts near the University Center.
The Board of Regents approved $5.5 million for planning and design last year. UM expects to open construction bids in May, and seek regents' approval on the contract and design in July 2024.
According to Bodnar, UM would foot the $100 million bill through a combination of existing bond funds, the use of housing reserves and issuing additional bonds. He emphasized financial prudence when speaking to the board.
“This isn’t about creating luxury on our campus,” Bodnar said. “We aren’t going to be a campus that builds a lazy river through campus — that’s not who we are as an institution.”
Construction of a new residence hall is the last step in the UM Student Life Master Plan, crafted in 2018 and published in 2020 with the help of an outside architecture firm to guide future capital investments in a way that would enhance the campus experience and accommodate contemporary student needs. At the time, UM was hearing from community members that the state of its facilities was considered a barrier to its enrollment growth.
Since then, UM has leveraged significant resources through private fundraising and refinancing its debt portfolio to revitalize its campus. It made improvements to three residence halls, will soon unveil a new dining hall and has made extensive updates to infrastructure in classrooms, utilities and more.
A new 600-bed dorm is the final piece of this project, one that UM officials hope will impact the trajectory of its students for decades.
“We face a decision,” Bodnar said. “We either put significant investment into these older structures, or we invest in a new structure that will serve the needs of our students for the next half century.”
UM anticipates construction will take about 30 months, beginning August 2024.
