WEST BLOOMFIELD ECCENTRIC - Dec. 29, 2002
St. Mary's launches expansion projects

By Stacy Jenkins
Staff writer

The largest construction project in the 118-year history of Orchard Lake St. Mary's is under way, breaking ground for the future of the growing campus.
Collectively known as Orchard Lake Schools, the campus is home to St. Mary's Preparatory, St. Mary's College of Ave Maria University and SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary.
In just 14 years, enrollment at the all-boys prep school has grown from 168 students to more than 460, said Headmaster Jim Glowacki.
Plans for two major construction projects totaling more than $6 million are under way at the campus, located at Commerce Road and Orchard Lake Road. Ground has already been broken for a new ice arena and fitness facility and construction is set to begin in March on an extensive renovation to the library.
"This is the largest construction project in our history," said Don Horkey, Orchard Lake Schools spokesman. "It's been a long time in the back of our minds to do something like this. The buzz has been going on for awhile now, but now we see people out there digging holes and we are very excited."

ICE ARENA
The $3.4 million ice arena and fitness center will be connected to the southern portion of the Dombrowski Fieldhouse and will extend the length of a football field.
The two-story facility will have a National Hockey League-size ice arena with seating for 1,300 spectators. The 60,000-square-foot facility will have five locker rooms, storage areas, workout areas, a fitness center and a wrestling room.
The second floor will have a running track and a banquet facility with seating for 250 guests. A conference room will be attached to the existing Polish American Sports Hall of Fame Museum.
Glowacki said the facility will be top-notch.
"We wanted to keep the commitment to the students of St. Mary's to provide the best of everything," he said. "We didn't want to have a tin can facility, this will be a total athletic complex. We believe this will be a one-of-a-kind in the Midwest and will set the standard for everyone to follow."
St. Mary's Preparatory will be one of just three high schools in the state with its own ice hockey complex. The ninth-to-12th-grade school has about 50 skaters in its varsity and junior varsity hockey programs.
The new ice arena will eliminate the need for the school to rent ice time at the Detroit Skating Club, an expense that has mounted to more than $60,000 per year, said Horkey.
"It's just becoming too expensive," he said.
Area hockey teams and programs have already expressed an interest in ice time at the new arena, he added. Completion is expected in August.
"The ice arena will be a revenue-producing facility and will be open to the community," Horkey said.

HIGH TECH
The 45-year-old Alumni Memorial Library served its purpose for many years, but school officials say it's no longer adequate for the growing campus.
Located on Seminary Road near Indian Trail, the library building will nearly triple in size from 9,200 square feet to about 24,300 square feet, said Horkey.
The $2.7 million renovation will add computer labs, two classrooms and group study rooms. The lower level will have a 6,900-sqare-foot conference center, additional classrooms and a kitchen.
Added space will allow for about 50,000 more volumes to be added to the library's holdings. Horkey said the expansion answers concerns noted by the North Central Association when it renewed the college's accreditation for 10 years in 1998.
"This is in response to their concerns," said Horkey.
The Association of Theological Schools, the seminary's accrediting agency, also expressed concerns about the library.
"The library lacks necessary technological or physical resources for the teaching, learning and research required by the school's purpose or for the degree program it offers," according to the agency's report following a 1999 visit.

BUILDING A FUTURE
"These projects are symbols, building blocks, of our athletic and academic excellence," said Horkey.
Both construction projects have received the necessary approvals from the Orchard Lake City Council and nearby residents offered input on the preliminary designs.
A fund-raising campaign is set to kick off in the coming months, but the school has already received significant donations to get the project started, said Horkey.
Ed Basile, vice president of the Broomer Co. in Detroit, is the project manager for the library expansion and the ice arena. Basile is on the board of regents at St. Mary's and has two sons who graduated from St. Mary's Prep. He also coached football and ran a hockey program at the school.
Broomer Co. is noted for its construction work at Comerica Park, Ford Field, Detroit's new water treatment plant, the Renaissance Center and the Compuware headquarters in Detroit.
Designs for both projects were drafted by architect David Barczys, of Niagara Murano in Birmingham.

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