Topping Out ceremony held for new $25 million Student Services Center

Construction of Seminole State College of Florida’s new Student Services Center on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus has reached a milestone. On Wednesday, Feb. 22, students, faculty and staff gathered at the construction site as crews from Charles Perry Partners, Inc. (CPPI), raised the final beam into place as part of a Topping Out ceremony marking the highest point of the building’s construction.

Signatures of students, faculty and staff covered the beam, providing the Seminole State community a unique way to be part of the building’s history.

The Student Services Center will open in January 2018 and will support Seminole State's vision of being a student-centered college by serving as a one-stop facility for student services and student life.

"This new building will be a one-stop welcoming place for new and current students that will enhance every facet of their student experience at Seminole State – from first-time information through graduation," said Dr. Joe Sarnovsky, executive vice president at Seminole State.

During the ceremony, the signed beam was hoisted 34 feet into the air by a crane and attached to the building, which is well on its way to become an energy-efficient, two-story, 77,000-square-foot structure.

"We are very excited to be here today flying the final beam," said CPPI Vice President and Regional Manager Jason Morgan. "A Topping Out ceremony represents the time when you fly the highest point or the last structural piece of a building, and we are all going to be a part of that today.…We do it to thank the design team and the construction workers – all who made the project possible.”

Interesting facts about the construction project to date:

• 368 tons of steel used to construct the frame
• 28 tons of reinforcing bars (rebar) installed
• 2,250 cubic yards of concrete poured
• 38,000 concrete masonry units (CMU) utilized
• 5,000 man hours dedicated to this project

Seminole State students provided their input in the building’s design. Caleb Hylton, president of the Student Government Association at Seminole State College’s Sanford Lake Mary Campus, spoke about how the Student Services Center is a combination of efforts, inputs and opinions from both students and administration. 

“As construction on this building continues, remember that it stands as a symbol of what can be accomplished when you have a college that supports and puts its students first,” said Hylton. “And a student body that is eager and willing to make the difference in not only their school but in their community.”