The halls are Billings, Collins, Dennison, Dorsey, Erickson (dining), McBride and Symmes. The renovations will include new windows, accessibility improvements, new elevators, insulation, HVAC and fire alarm upgrades, plus other improvements.
The majority of the project — $92.4 million — is being financed by bonds, with $926,000 coming from local funds.
Also on deck are improvements to the Western Campus, which has been the site of several long-range housing projects.
The projects are designed to improve pedestrian flow and restore the grounds surrounding the the new Western Campus residence halls and dining hall construction sites. It will also include roadway improvements, landscaping and storm water management. The cost of this project is $5.9 million, with $2 million coming from bonds and $3.8 million coming from local funds.
Trustees also authorized the $1.9 million renovation of Peabody Hall, which has not been renovated in nearly 20 years, according to the resolution. The renovations will replace HVAC units and allow Peabody to be connected to the university’s new geothermal heating system. This project will cost $1.9 million.
Also on deck is a baseball support facility for Hayden Park; this facility will include locker rooms, coaches offices and an equipment room. The cost is $3 million, which is being paid entirely from donated funds.
Another renovation project is the removal and replacement of a “badly deteriorated” tunnel top slab within the HUB Quad. The existing tunnel top/sidewalk is a trip hazard, and it cannot support the Oxford Fire Department’s fire fighting ladder trucks, according to the resolution. That project will cost $1.5 million.
Another $1.5 million project will involve updates to 13 residence halls and the Recreational Sports Center. The affected halls are Dodds, Emerson, Hamilton, Havighurst, MacCracken, McKee, Minnich, Morris, Porter, Richard, Scott, Stanton and Tappan, with work to be done this summer.
Other projects include electric upgrades/HVAC updates for the art quad, at a cost of $1.3 million, improvements to Phelps Hall on the Hamilton campus for $1.1 million, and the renovations/improvements to Shideler Hall, for which the university is awaiting $22.7 million in state funding.
The Western campus improvements will be made from March to November; the Hayden Park addition from spring 2014 to spring 2015; the tunnel top replacement will be from May to August; and the residence hall renovations will take place this year and next, according to university spokeswoman Claire Wagner.
Vice President and Treasurer David Creamer said such a spate of construction is “not uncommon for us. Following each graduation in May, we get very busy with construction activity.”
About the Author