By Jaci Schneider, Copy Editor

Constuction on University Church of Christ should be finished by November, one month earlier than originally estimated, said Dr. Eddie Sharp, pulpit minister and professor of Bible, missons and ministry.

“We had some good days uninterrupted by weather, and we had good workers,” Sharp said.

Although rain in the city slowed Barret Hall construction, it didn’t affect University Church of Christ’s construction because of the timing.

The $4 million project includes a covered driveway to protect church attendees from wet weather, a multi-purpose gymnasium, an industrial kitchen, four classrooms and a courtyard.

“This sort of finished a building project that was started in the 1950s,” Sharp said.

He said the church was constructed in the 1940s and houses surrounded the auditorium, leaving no room for parking or additional buildings.

The project also includes converting a field on the corner of Washington Boulevard and East North 15th Street into a parking lot. The university will pay half the cost and the church will pay half, and students can use the lot during the week.

The church had already raised about 85 percent of the construction cost, Sharp said. Although $700,000 still needs to be raised, Sharp said he’s confident church members will come through with more donations. And he said with interest rates at a historical low, the church can borrow money to make up the difference.

“We think [the money] will come,” Sharp said.

The gymnasium will work as a gym, a theater and a place for groups to stay. The kitchen is connected, and showers are in the bathrooms.

“This will give us a lot more flexibility,” Sharp said.

Sharp said the building could be used in the future for groups like the victims of the hurricane.

“We can’t be building this for ourselves,” he said. “This has got to be used as a tool … not as a toy.”