(Wahpeton)– A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday on the construction of a new $6.4 million Discovery and Innovation Laboratory at Lakeside Lab on the west side of West Lake Okoboji.
As we reported previously, the new facility will include a 150-seat classroom and lecture hall, expanded laboratory space and an atrium and patio. Lakeside Lab Executive Director Mary Skopec says they’re excited now that the work is underway. She says part of the project involves demolition of an old lab building…
“Really the goal is to be done by next September, so that’s really about a year timeline to get everything done. We have to take down that existing building which gets rid of a lot of different maintenance for us and then they’ll start doing that groundwork and prepping the site. So we’re really hoping that a year from now we’ll have an official ribbon cutting.”
The project is being funded through donations, alumni and Friends of Lakeside Lab and the state of Iowa.
Skopec says another phase of the project will include a renovation of living facilities at Lakeside Lab. She says fundraising for that part of the project continues.
