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March 30, 2017

Pitt finishing 10-year facilities plan

POT.pdfThe University is putting the finishing touches on a new 10-year facilities capital plan that includes $1.6 billion in strategic high-priority projects for which funding has been identified.

The University’s current capital plan spans fiscal years 2007-18. (See May 17, 2007, University Times.) That plan, initially $1 billion, has grown to $1.5 billion over time, said Scott Bernotas, associate vice chancellor for Facilities Management.

Overall, the new plan includes 139 projects totaling $3.5 billion. In addition to the $1.6 billion in funded projects, it outlines $1 billion in projects based on prospective funding streams, such as gifts, and $900 million in deferred projects that could be undertaken if money is available.

The plan was presented to Pitt trustees last month and will be released following approval by the chancellor, Executive Vice Provost David DeJong said in a presentation to the University Senate plant utilization and planning committee last week.

PS IMG_0775Details on timing and funding for projects slated for the first three years of the plan are being finalized. That work should be complete by the end of April, DeJong told the University Times.

Among the first projects:

• A new building, One Bigelow, currently a surface parking lot on the site of the former Syria Mosque. (See March 3, 2016, University Times.)

“We’re in a conceptual brainstorming phase” in plans that include a home for the new School of Computing and Information, DeJong said. “We’re thinking about a vision for that building; what it needs to achieve. Broadly we know that it needs to help enhance our aspirations in data-intensive research and teaching,” he said, adding that long-term plans for the

Among the first projects listed in Pitt’s new 10-year facilities plan are Salk Hall renovations and annexes for both Posvar Hall and Hillman Library. Also at the top of the priority list is a new building, One Bigelow, planned for the surface parking lot on the site of the former Syria Mosque.

Among the first projects listed in Pitt’s new 10-year facilities plan are Salk Hall renovations and annexes for both Posvar Hall and Hillman Library.
Also at the top of the priority list is a new building, One Bigelow, planned for the surface parking lot on the site of the former Syria Mosque.

Information Sciences building will hinge on One Bigelow construction.

• A Hillman Library annex is in the design phase, with construction set to begin next year. The addition initially will provide swing space during library renovations (Nov. 23, 2016, University Times), and eventually could house the Center for Creativity and other student-life enhancements.

• A Posvar Hall annex that will aid in the plan to cluster the social sciences together. The planned 80,000-square-foot addition will face Bouquet Street, DeJong said.

• Salk Hall renovation.

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The plan was developed after a conditions assessment of every University building across Pitt’s five campuses and a University-wide survey of units’ anticipated needs over the 10-year horizon, DeJong said.

Projects, all of which had to align with the University’s strategic plan, were prioritized as either “mission critical,” “nice to have” or “aspirational,” he said.

The plan is designed to be dynamic and subject to revision, he said, noting that at least two mid-term re-evaluations are expected.

“We’re not going to put this thing on the shelf and pick it up 10 years later. We’re going to systematically come back and review progress.”

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DeJong said 60 percent of the new plan’s $1.6 billion in priority projects are for education and general (E&G) projects; 24 percent are for preservation; 9 percent are auxiliary projects; 5 percent are regional campus projects; and 2 percent are for the School of Medicine.

Among the core elements are:

• Creating space for the new School of Computing and Information.

• Growing new research capacity and the Innovation Institute.

• Expanding capacity and consolidating social sciences disciplines in the Posvar Hall/Sennott Square area.

• Expanding space for engineering and the applied sciences.

• Preserving and renewing existing facilities.

• Enhancing student life and recreation.

Outside-the-classroom amenities for students, “including academic support, health and wellness, housing, food service and recreation,” are a major need, DeJong said.

• Renewing and expanding facilities for the School of Medicine and other Health Sciences schools. DeJong singled out Victoria Hall and Salk Hall as high priorities in the plan.

 

—Kimberly K. Barlow


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