97-10-03 Trustees: Trustees Approve Design Work andConstruction TRUSTEES APPROVE DESIGN WORK AND CONSTRUCTION, SELL LAND COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University Board of Trustees on Friday (10/3) authorized the university to hire designers to plan renovations at two campus facilities -- including the Ohio Union -- and awarded construction contracts. Trustees also sold property and conducted other business. Trustees approve design work for Ohio Union renovation Trustees authorized the university to hire an architect to design infrastructure and cosmetic improvements at the Ohio Union, a student facility that opened in 1951. The architect also will help the university match the scope of the project with the available dollars. Infrastructure improvements are needed to make the facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, address safety concerns, remove asbestos and correct a substandard heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, said Jill Morelli, university architect. Three additions were made to the facility in the mid-1960s, but no work has been done since 1967. Aesthetic upgrades would provide a face-lift in common areas, meeting rooms and kitchens, Morelli said. Operations of the Ohio Union are 71 percent revenue supported, said Rebecca Parker, director of the Ohio Unions. It is expected that the improvements would allow the facility to compete more effectively for business and, therefore, continue to generate those funds. In addition to ballrooms that can accommodate large meetings, training sessions and conferences, the union also has kitchens for full-service catering. “But the rooms need to be upgraded and the furnishings are outdated, which makes it hard to compete in the marketplace,” Parker said. “The facility just doesn’t lend itself to making a good impression.” Meeting rooms on the second and third floors need to be updated, as does a common area and conference theater on the second floor. Also on the third floor, in what formerly was the Terrace Dining Room, space could be converted into flexible meeting space with meal service for conferences, Parker said. Making a good impression also is important for student retention and recruiting purposes. “In addition to academics, potential incoming students often look at three other things: unions, recreation facilities and residence halls,” Parker said. Ohio State, Parker noted, is one of only a few universities nationwide that doesn’t have a student activity fee to help support operations of a student union. An initiative to build a new student union led to a student referendum in early 1995, in which students declined to pay $50 per quarter to help fund a new facility. After review, the decision was made to renovate the existing facility instead. Trustees authorized the university to spend approximately $1.8 million on design, to be paid by Housing, Food Service and Event Centers. The final cost of the project will be determined, along with funding sources and an estimated date of completion, during the design phase of the project. It is likely, however, that the total project cost could be about $26 million. Other building renovations Trustees also authorized the university to hire architects and seek construction bids to renovate a classroom in the Science and Engineering Library to better accommodate high-technology equipment. Funds for the $471,000 project will be shared by the state and the university. Construction contracts also were awarded for renovation of McPherson Laboratory between West 18th and 19th avenues. The building is being completely renovated to address the teaching and research needs of the Department of Chemistry, as well as to provide additional classroom space for the Department of Astronomy, the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and the university’s classroom pool. The bulk of funding for the $20 million project is provided by the state. A portion comes from the Ohio Board of Regents Asbestos Abatement fund, and the balance from university bond proceeds. The renovation is expected to be completed by January 1999. Trustees sell Michigan land, transfer building Trustees authorized the university to sell approximately 1,013 acres of unimproved land at the Silver River Reserve in Houghton County, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula of the state. Proceeds from the $275,000 sale will benefit the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which received it as a gift from former university Trustee John F. Havens in 1987. By selling the vacant land, the university will be able to avoid annual expenses of more than $6,000 in real estate taxes and association dues, said Robert J. Haverkamp, assistant vice president for business and administration. It never was declared tax-exempt because it was not used for an academic or research purpose, nor did the university receive any income from the land, he said. The association dues are used to maintain roads. The buyers, Tooley Creek Land Co. of Michigan, purchased the heavily treed property for recreational use at a cost of approximately $271 an acre, said Pam Halsey, a coordinator for real estate and property management at Ohio State. Trustees also transferred 1100 Kinnear Road, the former location of the Edison Welding Institute, from the university’s endowment holdings into the general fund for academic, research and support purposes. A transfer price of $2.475 million was paid from the general fund to the endowment. The building consists of 51,400 square feet of office and high-ceiling warehouse space. New tenants from the College of Education’s School of Teaching and Learning, the Office of Trademark and Licensing Services and the Department of Physical Facilities are expected to occupy the building by winter quarter 1998, said Nancy Tinker, director of facility planning for resource planning and institutional analysis. The property, approximately five acres just west of Kenny Road, was acquired from the Allis-Chalmers Corp. in 1984. It was then leased to EWI until 1996, when EWI’s current facility on Lane Avenue and North Star was completed. Miscellaneous business In other business, trustees: -- Authorized the university to loan $495,000 to MedOhio Health Inc. for its participation in an ambulatory surgery center project in Newark. The loan is to be used by MedOhio Health to develop and operate, in conjunction with local health care providers, the Newark Clinic Surgery Center. Construction on the 15,000-square-foot ambulatory surgical center began in early May. The center is expected to open in mid-1998 and will be operated by Newark physicians in association with The Ohio State University Medical Center. -- Awarded a student recognition award to Carey J. Sonnenberg of WAUSEON. A senior majoring in agricultural education, Sonnenberg was honored for his outstanding service to The Ohio State University community. Sonnenberg has served as a resident adviser and is the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Teaching Committee youth representative. He is a member of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Student Council, the General Education Curriculum Review and Teaching Committee, the Collegiate 4-H and the Ohio State Men’s Glee Club. He is a recipient of the Edward S. “Beanie” Drake scholarship and the John T. Mount 4-H Leadership Award. -- Approved 167 contracts totaling $15.3 million for research projects funded in August. # Contact: Jill Morelli, university architect, 614-292-4458 Rebecca Parker, director of Ohio Unions, 614-292-2135 Robert Haverkamp, assistant vice president for business and administration, 614-292-7970 Written by Dave Bhaerman, University Communications, 614-292-8422 [Submitted by: Von Vargas (vargas.12@osu.edu) Fri, 3 Oct 1997 16:27:54 -0400 (EDT)] All documents are the responsibility of their originator.