The Property and Facilities Committee of the Board of Trustees approved three renovation projects as well as leasing agreements within three local facilities. The moves were made at the committee’s April 27 public meeting.

Approved projects enhance facilities within the Cathedral of Learning, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Thaw Hall. The projects create 54 construction jobs as well as 22 additional support jobs and carry a cumulative cost of $10.6 million.

Details of the University’s approved projects follow:    

• Renovation of approximately 10,000 square feet of space in classrooms and associated preparation rooms on the first floor of Thaw Hall. The project remodels seating arrangements and window placements, providing better wheelchair accessibility and more natural lighting. The renovation also includes installation of a new state-of-the-art audio-visual system, restroom upgrades and replacement of mechanical, electrical and lighting systems. The project carries an estimated cost of $4.4 million.

• The first phase of a three-phase project to replace major mechanical systems at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, located in South Oakland. This phase will install three steam boilers, a hot water converter and a 900-kilowatt emergency generator. The project carries an estimated cost of $3.4 million.

• Remodeling of approximately 9,000 square feet of space on the 19th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. It includes modernizing the floor plan as well as replacing the heating and lighting with modern, energy efficient systems. The project carries an estimated cost of $2.8 million.

The approved leasing agreements will cumulatively generate more than $190,000 in property and real estate taxes for the City of Pittsburgh. Details of the University’s approved lease agreements follow:

• Beginning August 1, 2018, the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences will begin a nine-year lease for 20,669 square feet of office and classroom space in the Bridgeside Point One Building, located at 100 Technology Drive, South Oakland. The agreement carries an initial annual rental rate of $547,728.50 and is a revision of a previous agreement with MB Pittsburgh Bridgeside.

• Beginning August 10, 2018, the Department of Housing will begin a 264-day lease of 64 deluxe/double non-smoking rooms on the third and fourth floors of the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center, located at 100 Lytton Avenue, Oakland. The agreement, which concludes on April 30, 2019, carries a lease amount of $1,081,344.  

• Beginning June 1, 2019, the University will begin a 15-year lease of 37,897 square feet of space in the Murdoch Office Building, located at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Coltart Street in Oakland. The agreement with Murwest LLC carries an initial annual rental rate of $1,117,962.