Construction starts soon on a new building at South Dakota Mines after an official ground-breaking ceremony for
the $40 million dollar project last week.
The Nucor Mineral Industries Building will house three mining related departments: Mining Engineering, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering and Geology.
Jim Rankin, president of South Dakota Mines, saidthe new building is important for the school’s future.
“We started back in 1885 as a mining school. That continues here in South Dakota. That mining is still very critical,” Rankin said. “This gives us a chance to educate that next generation of students going forward. It also allows us to work with companies as we work on projects that are important to them.”
Nucor is a company focused on steel production and scrap metal recycling. It’s providing $5 million for the project. The school still needs to raise about $2 million.
State Sen. David Johnson, R-Rapid City, helped secure funding for the new building during the 2021 legislative session. He sponsored a bill to appropriate $19 million of state money to the project. Johnson attended school of mines nearly 4 decades agoand said the geology building was old then.
“The building has seen its day. It did a good job for well over half a century and it’s just time,” Johnson said. “I’m excited.”
The project is still short of its projected cost, which has risen due to inflation. Johnson, who sits on the state’s appropriation committee, said he will work to secure additional funding.
Construction starts soon and is expected to last for two years.
