At its monthly meeting Thursday, the University Board of Regents will take action on $43.7 million worth of campus construction and renovations affecting everything from campus safety to sports facilities to the University Hospital.
Among the items on their plate, the regents will consider two upgrades to campus medical facilities, two recommendations to alter planned Athletic Department projects and a new proposal to upgrade the locks on doors of campus buildings.
Timothy Slottow, the University’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, will recommend upgrading manually locking exterior doors with electronic readers that would lock and unlock the doors.
The proposal, outlined in a memo released yesterday, would include replacing traditional key locks on exterior doors at more than 100 buildings on campus and issuing new, more technologically advanced MCards to all members of the campus community.
Upgrading the locks would allow campus officials to better respond to emergency situations in which a building lockdown may be necessary because the doors could be locked from a central point.
The project is expected to cost $9 million and is scheduled for completion by spring 2011. If approved, representatives from the University’s Department of Architecture, Engineering and Construction will design the project.
Slottow and Dr. Ora Pescovitz, executive vice president for medical affairs, will seek approval from the regents for two new projects at University Hospital.
The regents will be asked for approval of a renovation to the East Ann Arbor Health and Geriatrics Center. The renovation will accommodate the projected number of individuals needing access to non-cancer infusion centers. Approximately 5,000 gross square feet of space will be renovated to include 10 bays, a pharmacy, nursing stations and office and support spaces.
The estimated cost is $1.5 million and is scheduled for completion in spring 2010.
Additionally, regents will consider approval for an improvement of the emergency electrical power system at the University Hospital. The 3,400-square-foot renovation, which is estimated to cost $4 million, will provide a new uninterruptible power supply in the event of an emergency.
Construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2010.
The Board of Regents will also consider taking the next steps in two athletic facility construction projects that were approved earlier this year.
Regents will consider the overall schematic design for a new basketball practice facility. The 57,000-square-foot addition to Crisler Arena will include two practice basketball courts, team locker areas, strength and conditioning areas, space for medical treatment and new coaching and staff offices.
The addition is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2011 and is expected to cost $23.2 million.
Approximately 150 parking spots at Crisler will be temporarily displaced due to the construction and about 95 spots are expected to be lost permanently.
Regents will also consider authorizing the issuance of bids and awarding of construction contracts for the Intercollegiate Soccer Stadium — a project the regents approved in June.
The new field will include the construction of restrooms, concession stands, press areas, team locker rooms and grandstand seating for approximately 1,800 spectators.
The project is expected to cost $6 million and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010.
— Fides Araneta contributed to this report.