When Tabor College and contractors started planning for the Shari Flaming Welcome Center, the goal was to have a location that made a strong first impression on visitors, said Rusty Allen, executive vice president of operations.

“We haven’t had a space that gives great first impression to guests,” he said. “We feel like that’s been a bit of a weakness.”

The lobby will have artwork and high, vaulted ceilings. Conference rooms on the second floor will have windows overlooking the heart of Tabor’s campus, Allen said.

“That’s the most beautiful part of our campus,” he said. “As we meet with parents, donors, or have business meetings in those spaces, it’ll be a creative and inspiring place to meet.”

Another important part of the process — providing proper signage, Allen said.

“Signage is a sign of hospitality,” he said. “If you want people to leave here with a good first impression then you need good signage.”

The current welcome center is slated for demolition, while the two houses directly north are already leveled.

The original plan was to create additional parking after demolishing the current welcome center, but that proved unneeded, he said.

Because of the future building’s dimensions, parking lots by the library and the current welcome center will actually gain a few spots, Allen said.

“We’re thankful for that because it saved a lot of money,” he said. “We thought we’d have to build a brand new parking lot.”

After the infrastructure is leveled, the area will be reseeded with grass, but the space could be used for other purposes in the future, Allen said.

“It certainly gives us some options,” he said. “It can be residence halls, or if there’s more administrative space that we need and have money to build at some point, or if there’s more academic space we need someday.”

Tabor is contracting with Newton construction company Vogts Pagra, which is convenient because of the existing relationship, Allen said.

“It’s been a good partnership with them and we really have a lot of trust,” he said.