Iowa State is a step closer to having a new Student Health Center.

ISU officials and student leaders gathered to break ground on the future sight of the new facility Friday morning. The ceremony was held on the parking lot grounds located west of Beyer Hall where the new facility is scheduled to open in June of 1997.

The Student Health Center’s business director, Roger Balmer, said the current facility sometimes serves more than 300 students a day, which causes some crowded conditions.

The new building will double the Student Health Center’s size. Construction will focus on student accessibility and additional parking spaces. The facility is also centrally located for better off-campus access.

“The new facility will have a lot better space and a lot more efficient space,” Balmer said. “It will really improve both our capacity for patients and our available parking.”

Robert Patterson, director of the health center, said the facility will improve health care

“It is to the student’s advantage to have a modern health care center. It is a myth that all college students are young, robust and healthy, when [in fact] disease or injury can threaten their ability to continue their education,” Patterson said.

The plan for the facility was sparked in the spring of 1993 when the Government of the Student Body passed a resolution providing funds for the project and the state Board of Regents approved the plan.

GSB President Dan Mangan said students will not be seeing a massive increase in fees to fund the $6.1 million project. He said the new facility is scheduled to be funded by the $42-a-semester student health fee, which is not scheduled to change.

“The students have given the project their overwhelming approval,” Mangan said. “People are very, very glad to get the new facility.”

The architect, Baldwin White of Des Monies, and Harold Pike Construction of Ames, will be working together to construct the facility.

Tom Thielen, vice president for student affairs, said the university will be remodeling the Student Services Building, the current home of the health center, at the request of students who want to see it used for other student services including the Office of International Students and Scholars.