UGA Tifton animal/dairy building on schedule for December completion

TIFTON — The renovations to the Animal and Dairy Science Building on the University of Georgia Tifton campus are still on track and on budget according to Joe West, assistant dean of the campus.

The renovations will be completed by mid-December, and in early January the building will be furnished. By the end of January or early February, faculty, staff and students are expected to occupy the building.

“The fact that we were able to keep the historical integrity of the building while also giving it a modern touch was very encouraging,” West said.

The building’s first floor will consist of laboratories, and the second floor will house ADS faculty and staff offices. Faculty and staff from the entomology department will move to the third floor.

“This move will enable us to reduce the number of buildings that the entomology faculty occupies,” West said. “The five buildings they’re in right now will be reduced to three. This way, they are all in close proximity to one another.”

John Bernard, the interim ADS department head, said he looks forward to the move.

“The renovation not only provides renovated office space for faculty and staff, but it includes laboratory space to support research by our faculty and graduate students,” Bernard said. “One enhancement to the building I’m most looking forward to will be the space for graduate student offices, which has been very limited. The conference room will also be equipped with the latest technology that will support additional classes, either being taught or taken online, to support our graduate and undergraduate students.”

UGA President Jere Moorhead will take part in a rededication ceremony for the ADS Building on April 4.

In addition to the building renovation, the campus will soon undertake landscape renovations, including new signage displaying the redesigned UGA logos.

“The general look and feel of the campus will be more functional, attractive and reflective of UGA,” West said.

After the ADS Building is fully operational, UGA-Tifton will begin a feasibility and design study for renovations to the college’s former Administration Building.

“The building will not be completely shut down like the Tift and ADS buildings were, but we are looking to bring the building back to standard and improve the interior and environment for the people that work there,” West said.

The Tift Building, UGA-Tifton’s first structure on campus, was renovated in 2016.

Julie Jernigan is an intern at the University of Georgia, Tifton.

Clint Thompson