State Sen. Brandland stops by WWU to tour Miller Hall renovation project

State Sen. Dale Brandland (R-Bellingham) visited the Western Washington University campus on Wednesday, Jan. 6, for a tour of the ongoing construction at Miller Hall.

During his tour, Brandland and WWU President Bruce Shepard stopped to say a few words to members of the construction crew, from Dawson Construction.

"As bad as the economy is right now, I shudder to think where we would be if we didn't have projects like this," Brandland said. "We're going to recover from this, and stuff like this is really what's going to get us back."

The Washington State Legislature set aside $60.4 million for the project. At any one time, there are 50 construction workers -- many of the from Whatcom County -- on site working on the project, and at least 250 will have worked on the project once it is completed.

"That's what the capital budget is all about," Brandland said. "Putting people to work."

Shepard thanked the construction crew for their great work and added a special thanks to some of the faculty and staff members whose workspace has been altered and affected by the construction.

"Woodring College of Education has squeezed people into a much smaller space while this work has been going on," he said. "They have been very cooperative and understanding of the work."