Business incubator design ready

DATELINE: FREDONIA

The design plans for Fredonia State College's new business incubator are complete, and bidding is expected to get under way soon.

Members of the Fredonia College Council examined architectural drawings of the facility, to be built on Central Avenue near Second Street in Dunkirk, during the Council's meeting Wednesday.

The $4.7 million incubator -- to be fully wired and equipped for technology applications -- will accommodate as many as 30 fledgling businesses.

Featuring brick and glass accents, the 22,000-square-foot, two-story "green" building will incorporate several energy-efficient designs, including a roof with sod. There also will be a parking area and loading dock.

Bids are expected to be opened in late spring, with construction getting under way soon afterward. The target date for opening is June 2009.

University staff and students will be available to assist start-up businesses.

Dunkirk Mayor Richard Frey recently asked that "Dunkirk" appear in signs on the building.

Meanwhile, construction is continuing on Fredonia's campus, which is in the final year of a five-year plan featuring $78.9 million in projects, including:

A boiler project with a $14.5 million price tag.

A $600,000 project in the theater department, featuring storage and interior work, with completion expected in March.

Renovations to the Williams Center, which will continue throughout the summer break. The $4.5 million project will include a new boiler and courtyard upgrades. Work is expected to be completed before the start of the fall semester.

Also, four new academic programs will be introduced in the fall semester. Master's programs in computer and information sciences and teaching in science will be offered.

A journalism program has been added at the undergraduate level, and the accounting program has been revised for an additional 30 hours in the field to prepare students to take the uniform CPA exam.