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May 15, 1997

3 faculty win NSF grants

Summer may be a time for most departments at the University to slow down a bit, but not the Office of Facilities Management.

Fewer students, faculty and staff on campus means it's time to get to work on renovation and construction projects.

Following is a list of projects set for this summer. The information was provided by Ana Guzman, interim associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management, and John Sopcisak, director of Planning, Design and Construction.

Classroom renovations Four classrooms will be renovated in David Lawrence Hall and three in Forbes Quadrangle. The auditorium in Benedum Hall also will be renovated. Total cost of the renovations, which are scheduled to be completed Aug. 30, is about $1.6 million.

Chevron Science Center Space on the sixth floor of Chevron will be remodeled for a new chemistry laboratory, including the installation of partitions, casework, fume hoods and bench tops. The lab is expected to be ready for the fall term. The cost will be $120,000.

Bellefield Hall The gym and locker rooms on the first floor, and the lobbies and corridors on the first and second floors will be renovated. The project is scheduled to be completed Sept. 1. The cost is $342,000.

The Book Center A portion of The Book Center will be expanded and remodeled to increase retail sales space. About 5 percent of the construction has been completed. Since some funding is still being worked out, no completion date has been set for the project. The cost will be about $578,000.

Cathedral of Learning Work is being completed on the installation of a new fire alarm system designed to meet the City of Pittsburgh's high-rise construction code. The project will cost almost $1.6 million and is scheduled to be completed May 30.

Safety System Upgrades The state Department of Education has provided $5 million for the installation of new fire alarm systems and/or sprinkler systems in Salk, Benedum, Chevron Science Center and the Information Sciences Building. Emergency generators also are being installed in Benedum and the Information Sciences Building. The work, which is 70 percent completed, is designed to bring the buildings up to code. The project is expected to be completed some time in August.

Mervis Hall The Copy Center will be relocated and rooms B-80 and B-75 will be renovated into a distance learning classroom. The total cost of the project will be approximately $170,000. Design work is 20 percent completed. No completion date has been set.

Americans With Disabilities Act projects Renovations to entrances and restrooms will occur in various buildings around campus to bring them into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The cost of the renovations is about $800,000. The changes are part of a long-term, ongoing project.

Roof repairs The roofs of Alumni Hall, the William Pitt Union and the Graduate School of Public Health will be repaired at a total cost of $519,000.

Forbes Quadrangle Plaza Phase II of the waterproofing of Forbes Quad Plaza will take place. The project, which will cost $800,000, is being funded by the state. No completion date has been set.

Salk Hall Single pane windows will be replaced and brick masonry restored. Work is expected to be completed by Oct. 31. The cost will be $410,000.

Also in Salk Hall, laboratories and 26 offices on the fifth and seventh floors that belong to the School of Pharmacy will be renovated. Most of the areas will receive new ceilings, carpet or floor tile and light fixtures. In addition, walls will be painted and in many cases have trim refinished. Cost of the project is $165,000.

Generators and transformers New emergency generators or transformers will be installed in the Fitzgerald Field House, Litchfield Towers, Alumni Hall and Bruce Hall. Most of the work is completed. The cost is $570,000.

Greensburg A stage, dressing rooms and lighting equipment will be added to Smith Hall. The building's fire alarm system will be upgraded, and a new roof and exterior building panels installed. The project, which is 95 percent completed, will cost $1.8 million, including $1.08 million from the state and $720,000 from the University.

Offices in Smith Hall will be renovated to accommodate a biology lab and new ventilation system, and 12 new faculty offices will be built. Work is scheduled to be completed Aug. 15. The cost will be about $270,000.

Outside Lynch Hall, a retaining wall will be repaired. The cost is $150,000. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 5.

Johnstown The Engineering and Science Building will receive $1.3 million in renovations. Of that total approximately $790,000 will come from the state and $510,000 will come from the University.

Work will include upgrading of the heating and ventilation systems, conversion to gas heating, installation of energy efficient lighting, upgrading of several laboratories, offices and the main auditorium. In addition, renovations will be made to bring the building into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Titusville Construction will continue on the new science center. When the center is completed in December, it will house the biology and geology departments, anthropology laboratories, faculty offices, and a general purpose auditorium.

The cost is just over $6 million, of which about $2.9 million will be paid by the state and roughly $3.2 million by the University.

Pymatuning Laboratory New faculty housing, including sleeping quarters and kitchen facilities, are expected to be completed by August. The cost will be $102,000.

An addition to the administration building is 98 percent complete. The cost of that construction project is $81,000.

–Mike Sajna


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