Expansion In Progress At Daytona Beach Campus

All things considered, it didn't take long for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to pull itself up by the bootstraps and develop a plan to not only replace buildings on its Daytona Beach campus that were destroyed by December's tornadoes that ravaged parts of Volusia County, but to fast track expansion projects already on the table.

ERAU President John Johnson tells Central Florida News 13 the university is building three new "icon" campus buildings as well as a new flight line building.

Renovations are now underway on the Gill Robb Wilson Flight Center Complex, adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport, which was originally constructed in 1972. The renovations, according to plans, will provide an open, naturally lit flight dispatch area closely resembling private FBO's.

On the fast-track are plans for a new world campus building and conference center, along with a new student and administrative center. Other building plans include an academic hall with 56,720 net square footage (NSF), a 12,310 NSF fitness center; and a 65,947 NSF 256-bed residence hall.

The tornado damage, said Johnson, "gave us an opportunity to accelerate some of the plans we already had for new buildings."

There is also a new fleet of airplanes on the way for students to use to replace the 50 that were destroyed during the storm, as ANN reported.

FMI: www.erau.edu