When people think of Cedar Point, they think of an amusement park filled with fun and excitement. Now, University students, including Firelands College will think of a building.

The new Cedar Point Center, which began construction in October 2001, is the first new building that the Firelands campus has seen since 1972.

“We needed more classroom space and it is an attempt to take a step further into the 21st Century,” John Pommersheim, Associate Dean of Firelands said.

A step into the 21st Century is just what the building will accomplish. Courses will broadcast from the main campus, into the classrooms of the Center.

According to Pommersheim, professors will have the opportunity to conduct unique presentations with the equipment available .

A building named after an amusement park, though? Cedar Point has made a large contribution to the college in order to construct the building. According to a Cedar Point spokeswoman, such a large contribution was made because Cedar Point employs a large number of University students. This was their way to give back to the students.

“They gave a gracious donation of $1 million,” Pommersheim said.

The building itself cost $5 million to build with most of the money coming from donations.

The Sandusky/Erie County Community Foundation donated a considerable amount. Other area businesses and industries contributed. With these combined and including private donations, a total of $2.5 million was collected.

George Mylander, former city commissioner and University graduate, personally donated $150,000. His donation will provide the furnishings in the dining and lobby areas of the Center.

The 26,000 square-foot Center will house classrooms with computers for distance learning, a dining area, a culinary arts teaching kitchen and a central conference center. Area businesses are encouraged to use the conference room. It will have moveable walls to house either a few small meetings or one large meeting.

The idea to build a new building was brought about in 1997 by former Dean, Darby Williams. Williams saw a need for campus expansion and when various campus leaders came together to talk about it, they realized they were running out of space.

The Collins Gordon Bostwick Architects of Cleveland were hired as associate architects. They are working with James McArthur, Interim Director of Design and Construction/Assistant University Architect, Robert Waddle, University Director of Capital Planning and the University’s building committee.

Construction is on schedule, making the expected finish date to be early June 2003.

The construction is contained to one side of the campus causing little disruption to normal campus flow. One road leading into campus had to be closed in August due to the setting of sewer lines, but will reopen shortly.

A web camera has been set up at the construction sight for those interested in the building’s progress.

According to Pommersheim, this ties together the whole technology of the building. The idea of a web camera watching construction, came from the University’s Student Union construction sight.

“It (the camera) can let the people who donated money see where their money is going,” Pommersheim said.