Construction projects total 13
As USU continues expansion over the next few years, its campuses will take on new features. The most recent work-in-progress is the new College of Agriculture building located immediately west of the business building.
“We have a lot of different projects that are at different stages of completion,” said Vice President for Business and Finance Dave Cowley.
A portion of the southwest exterior wall of the College of Agriculture building has been erected. Cowley said the almost-$46 million, state-funded project should be completed around January 2012.
“The old building is actually scheduled for demolition,” Cowley said, “It’s part of the project.” The current college of agriculture building is just south of the biology and natural resources building.
The journalism and communications department will be moved to the new building along with agriculture upon completion.
Each year as USU leaders put together their requests for state funding, they develop a planning document referred to as the five-year plan, Cowley said.
“In most cases we don’t yet have funding secured for these projects, so the list shows the projects we would like to begin as funding allows,” he said.
The new RCDE building is planned to replace the Quonset hut, a World War II surplus structure, which currently houses Utah Public Radio (UPR). The site is adjacent to 1200 East across from the nutrition and food science building and is estimated to be complete in 2012 (see Page 3 for full story.)
A Closer Look at the Five-Year Plan
The current five-year plan for fiscal year 2011-12 contains a total of 13 project proposals. The grand total for approximated budgets according to the plan is $228.8 million.
Project No. 1 is a two-phase addition and renovation for the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
“The phasing of this project is necessary due to the lack of space to relocate the existing Jon M. Huntsman School of Business functions during renovation,” the plan states.
The first phase of this project is the construction of a three- or four-story building that would replace Lund Hall. The second phase would address seismic weaknesses and worn mechanical and electrical systems.
The plan also states: “Much of the interior is the original decor and does not adequately reflect the caliber of teaching and research happening in the building.” The proposed budget for this project is approximately $60 million.
Project No. 2 is a proposed overhaul of the deteriorating systems of the Kent Concert Hall and the Morgan Theatre. Updates would include new electrical, lighting and ceilings. The proposed budget is approximately $20.3 million.
“The music and theatre programs will both be greatly enhanced by these improvements, and the entire campus and community will be served by increasing safety and quality of the venue,” the plan states.
Project No. 3 addresses effectiveness and capacity of the HPER building, which was built in 1972. At the time the building was constructed, it was meant to serve a projected student population of 12,000.
“The present on-campus student population is approximately 17,000 and the existing facility is inadequate for the instructional needs of the university, let alone the recreational needs of its students,” the plan states.
The proposed $45 million project would add around 80,000 square feet to the facility. It would have several new features, including new classrooms and labs as well as an area for rock climbing instruction.
Project Nos. 4 and 5 address a suggested need to renovate the biology and natural resources building and the animal science building.
Project No. 6 addresses the Ray B. West building. Barrett said the recent “cosmetic” improvements made to the building could be a temporary fix.
“It would need a pretty significant seismic upgrade,” Barrett said. “We’re talking seismic upgrades and mechanical upgrades. Cut the building open and start over on the inside.”
The Ray B. West and animal science buildings are both listed on the national register of historic buildings. It is suggested in the plan that the timber roofs and un-reinforced concrete walls of both buildings be renovated.
Project No. 7 is the proposed construction of a wind turbine generator at the mouth of Logan Canyon. Implementation of such a structure would help reduce USU’s carbon footprint and meet the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment.
The plan also states: “This area of the campus has long been considered as a possibility for a wind project because of the strong, regular diurnal (cold air spilling from the mountains … from evening to mid-morning) wind.”
Project Nos. 8, 9 and 10 propose a utility tunnel extension, upgrades to the Tooele Regional Campus utilities and a Brigham City campus student center, respectively.
Project No. 11 is the new Regional Campus and Distance Education (RCDE) building. Along with UPR and the RCDE administrative offices, the building will also house additional distance education classrooms, Barrett said.
Utah Educational Network (UEN), a non-university, statewide terminal for regional campuses, will also have offices in the new building, he said.
Project No. 12 would be a renovation of the Art Barn, a building of historical significance according to the plan.
“The renovation will allow the building to remain a landmark on campus, but will provide safe accommodation for the teaching and research that takes place inside the building,” the plan states. “It is hoped to secure private funds for the project.”
Project No. 13, the final proposal on the current five-year plan, is a thermal storage tank that would store two million gallons of water underground beneath the HPER recreational field. The purpose would be to reduce the cost of energy on campus.
The College of Agriculture building, the RCDE building and a distance education building currently under construction in Kaysville are the only three building projects that currently have an approved stream of funding, Barrett said.
“It would be really aggressive to think all these things would come along in a five year period,” Cowley said. “So it’s a forward-looking plan for buildings that are on the viewable horizon. The document is more of a planning document.”