Eastern Washington University has selected Spokane-based Leone & Keeble Inc. as the general contractor for the $30.5 million second and final phase of its big overhaul of Patterson Hall.

Despite deep budget cuts made during the state's recent legislative session, EWU received the remaining portion of funding it had sought to complete the renovation and expansion of Patterson, the campus's main academic building, says K.C. Traver, EWU's director of construction and planning.

Following the receipt of those funds, the university opted to go through a selection process based on contractors' submitted qualifications, rather than to seek competitive bids, he says. Of the eight companies that participated in the process, EWU selected Leone & Keeble, which had completed the first phase of the Patterson Hall project last summer under a $12.2 million contract.

He says that the second phase of work should begin sooner than originally expected because of that selection method, and because Leone & Keeble already is familiar with the project.

"We're hopeful that through this process we can take significant time off the current schedule," Traver says.

That first phase of work included the demolition of all but the building's foundation and structural framework, Traver says, as well as the relocation of utilities inside the building to trenches outside of it.

It also included the construction of a three-story, 34,000-square-foot addition around three sides of the original building, he says.

The upcoming phase of work, planned to begin this summer, includes the reconstruction of the building's north face, the installation of mechanical and electrical systems, and interior finish work throughout the building, Traver says.

When the project is completed, which is expected to be by June 2014, Patterson Hall will have 135,500 square feet of floor space, he says.