HANOVER, N.H. -
The bustling town of Hanover, N.H., is about to get a little busier. Two new Dartmouth College buildings, one in Lebanon and one on campus in Hanover, are in the early phases of development. The estimated price tag-- $150 million.
"The north campus academic center will house two departments from the social sciences, as well as promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among the Geisel School of Medicine, TDI and the Center for Health Care Delivery Science," said Justin Anderson of Dartmouth College.
A $90 million Life Sciences Center is already complete. A new visual arts center, made possible through a $50 million gift, will be done this September. College officials say the projects enable faculty growth and help promote research while maintaining Dartmouth's liberal arts core.
"The Black Visual Arts Center, which will open in September, as well as these two buildings that will begin construction in coming months are all about maximizing research and promoting collaboration across departments and disciplines," Anderson said.
"I love to see them investing in the area," said Matt Tuohy of Salt Hill.
That is-- according to employees at Salt Hill in downtown Hanover-- as long as the investment is done right.
"As long as they consider the traffic counts and the parking needs. I think that is one or our bigger issues in the area. That's what I hear customers and employees alike talk of," Tuohy said.
Dartmouth still needs the proper permitting from the town for the project. Officials from the school say they hope to begin that dialog this summer. After all, when it comes to this community, Dartmouth and Hanover go hand-in-hand.
College officials could not offer specifics as to how many new positions will be created. They did say that student enrollment is not expected to increase.
