University Times

In a Dec. 12 meeting of its property and facilities committee, Pitt’s Board of Trustees approved renovations to Bruce Hall housing and okayed a 10-year lease at the Rivertech Office Works for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition.

Bruce Hall, the building at the far right of the photo, is slated for interior and infrastructure upgrades.

The committee approved preliminary project development funding for a $7.795 million pro-ject that will upgrade Bruce Hall’s interior and infrastructure.

Bruce Hall, which houses 198 undergraduates, was built in 1923. According to project documents, the building has outdated bathrooms and system infrastructure deficiencies.

The project will upgrade 52,440 square feet of space as part of ongoing improvements to University housing. Renovations will include replacement of storm and sanitary piping infrastructure, the addition of stairway pressurization for fire safety, replacement of bathroom fixtures and creation of handicapped-accessible bathrooms, replacement of obsolete air handling units, upgraded door security hardware, new flooring and paint.

The project will be funded through auxiliary reserves.

The committee is authorized to approve all University construction projects in excess of $2 million and to report its actions to the trustees budget committee for inclusion in the University’s operating and capital budgets.

Rivertech lease for SHRS

The committee also approved a 10-year lease of 11,667 square feet of office and lab space at Rivertech Office Works to house the Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition.

The department currently leases 7,790 square feet in two separate buildings at the Rivertech complex. The move will enable the department to expand into a single space in Building 7, located on South Water Street in the South Side.

Among the research programs housed in the Rivertech space are the Neuromuscular Research Laboratory (NMRL), which focuses on injury mitigation and performance optimization needs of the military’s special operations forces, and the Warrior Human Performance Center.

According to trustees documents, the department has received research funding from the Office of Naval Research, the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command and the Air Force Surgeon General/Air Force Material Command since 2007. It currently is funded in excess of $44.21 million through fiscal year 2018, with additional growth expected.

The new lease will begin Jan. 1, 2015, with initial annual rent of $277,091.25 or $23.75 per square foot.

—Kimberly K. Barlow