Students at Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio, will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of a brand new student center.

Students at Rosedale Bible College in Irwin, Ohio, will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of a brand new student center.

The full dollar amount for the project is estimated at $3.5 million. The school has been raising money for the last number of years, and the project also has some donated labor and donated materials.

The contract was awarded to Weaver Commercial Contractor Inc., Wooster, Ohio. Ron Wenger is the company president.

Work began on May 21, and the anticipated end date for the project is October. Despite rains in the early spring, the project remains on schedule.

The center, which will be 16,642 sq. ft. (1,546 sq m), will include a regulation college gymnasium, with basketball, volleyball, seating, and an exercise and weight room off the gymnasium. In addition, there will be a gathering place for students — a lounge area that can also be used for presentations — a full cafeteria and kitchen and several administrative offices.

Wenger said that his group has seen the typical challenges that are found on any construction project, but nothing has really been out of the ordinary.

“From the school's standpoint, this has been a dream for a number of years,” Wenger said. “I know they've been working on this for probably five years, and now they are getting to the point of being able to build it. It will be a major addition to their campus.”

The gymnasium structure includes 34 tons (30 t) of pre-engineered structural steel. The dining hall, kitchen, restrooms, gathering space and offices include 27 tons (24 t) of structural steel.

Major subcontractors for the project include Arledge Construction for concrete, Radico Inc. for plumbing, Kramer Electrical Service LLC for electric, PDS Systems LLC for the fire alarm, Mr. Mechanical LLC for HVAC, Carlisle Masonry Construction for masonry work, Capital Roofing LLC for membrane roofing, O C P Contractors Inc. for interiors, Guevara Stucco Service LLC for EIFS, Cincinnati Floor Company for the gym floor and Columbus Glass & Mirror for the storefront glass and doors.

Wenger reported that approximately 1,200 cu. yds. (917 cu m) of dirt was moved. Equipment used includes a Cat D5M dozer, a Cat 315 excavator, a Bobcat E85 excavator, a Bobcat T300 track loader, a 100 meter concrete boom pump, and Mack dump trucks.

Rosedale Bible College is an evangelical junior Bible college in the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition. Begun in 1952 as a six-week Bible school in Berlin, Ohio, the college has developed an accredited two-year degree program which includes a core curriculum of Bible, theology, leadership, and missions courses. It is accredited through the Association for Biblical Higher Education.

Currently, the average enrollment is approximately 80 students per term. The student body includes high school graduates, pastors, missionaries and individuals from a variety of vocations and professions. Students come from more than half the states, several Canadian provinces and a few foreign countries. The college has approximately 6,600 alumni.

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