Eight students and one University staff member will determine how to spend more than $4.1 million on building projects in the coming months as the Student Building Fee Allocation Committee prioritizes projects from around campus.
The committee will meet for the first time in an orientation session Thursday morning. At least two more meetings are expected to hear 14 project proposals.
All full-time students in the Oregon University System pay $45 each term in student building fees, which are placed in a statewide pool to be used for capital construction of student facilities.
Each university gets an portion approximately the size of its contribution once every two years.
The committee should decide which projects to move forward some time between March 15 and April 1, according to Cathy Soutar a planning associate and space analyst for University Planning.
A representative of the students on the committee, usually the ASUO president, will then send recommendations to University President Dave Frohnmayer for review.
In past years, the committee’s considerations have included a project’s demonstrated need, its beneficial use to students and its level of support on campus, according to an ASUO document.
Six of the projects the committee will consider come from the EMU. The EMU Board decided to pass on to the committee all of the projects it had considered without prioritizing them.
“The board looked at all of these proposals and felt they all had tremendous attributes to them,” EMU Director Dusty Miller said. “Not the same attributes, but ones that were worthy of consideration.”
Included is a complete renovation of the EMU estimated to cost more than $77 million. Miller said the overhaul, which originated in the EMU Master Plan of 2003, was included to keep the committee updated.
Other projects include renovations to the Student Recreation Center, renovations to the University Health Center and a space for the Career Center in the new Alumni Center, according to Soutar.
ASUO Remodel
Funding Request: $449,870
The proposed remodel of the ASUO office includes expanding the interior office walls into a large common lobby and moving the entrance to “a more protected location to increase energy efficiency,” according to the project proposal. It would also add a conference room, a separate space for the Student Senate, and a larger combined area for the ASUO controllers and accountant.
New workstations would be added to accommodate students who now share a limited number of desks. The renovation would require revamping the current HVAC systems and adding electrical, phone and Internet access.
“All members of the ASUO will benefit from this project,” according to the proposal. “The various branches, committees, and programs of student government will have adequate workspaces for shared and private projects. A new, fresh office will provide a good initial impression for new students and will encourage them to stop by to learn about various student leadership positions on campus.”
Craft Center Outdoor Programming Studio
Funding Request: $215,000
The Outdoor Programming Studio was endorsed by the EMU Board in 2004 with the expansion of the Craft Center. It was delayed because the center did not have enough remaining funds after interior renovations. The studio would be an outdoor space for welding, glass blowing, ceramics and stone carving. It would be approximately 1,680 square feet.
The studio would be covered and inside a fenced yard adjacent to the Craft Center.
The Craft Center already has $160,000 that was allocated by the SBFAC in 2007. It is seeking the balance needed to complete the project.
EMU Expansion and Alterations
Funding Request: $76,750,000
Basically a request to fund the EMU Master Plan of 2003, this project would completely renovate the building. EMU Director Dusty Miller said the proposal was included to keep the committee updated on the cost of the project, though it is not expected to be funded in its entirety.
According to Miller’s proposal, the project would “eliminate over $10 million of deferred maintenance, install new infrastructure, embrace sustainability initiatives, increase retail earning potential, and provide better space for student organizations, student programs, and EMU services.”
KWVA Integrated Broadcast Suite
Funding Request: $480,000
The campus radio station is currently housed in a former men’s restroom, a former women’s restroom and a janitorial service area. The proposed remodel of the station’s existing space and adjacent storage space would create “a state of the art integrated broadcast suite.”
A conference room, live broadcast and production studio spaces, a live performance studio and a music library are some of the changes the project would bring.
The new music library would be increased by 725 percent.
“A broadcast studio in an old restroom adds further complexity to the remodel situation,” the proposal states. “Old vents and pipes covered in asbestos run through some of the walls and rooms, making remodeling and reposition of walls difficult.”
Removal of the pipes alone would require hazardous material abatement estimated at $10,000, according to the proposal.
Outdoor Program Bike Loan and Rental Program Additions
Funding Request: $171,000
The Outdoor Program Trip Facility, also know as the Barn, would get a new storefront customer service area, an equipment storage addition and several “sustainability initiatives” under this proposal.
The Outdoor Program’s equipment rental program has grown steadily since 2003, significantly increasing the program’s earned revenue and reducing its reliance on the incidental fee. The current building was not designed for retail use, and an addition would create a space for storing canoes, sea kayaks and other large equipment. A second addition to the building would create an entryway and storefront.
A renovated facility would also serve as the location of a new UO Bike Loan Program. Other sustainability enhancements include replacing a traditional water heater with a high-efficiency tankless water heater.
EMU Partial Renovation of West Lower Level
Funding Request: $2,260,000
The lower level of the EMU between the computer lab and the Multicultural Center was described in Miller’s proposal as “dark, austere, inadequately designed to support its function, and serviced by two of our oldest (and failing) mechanical systems.”
The project would renovate 10,000 square feet to accommodate those who use it as they see fit, according to Miller. The remodel would affect student unions, the computer lab, the Multicultural Center and the LGBTQA. It would also affect the mechanical systems on the floor above, impacting the River Rooms, the Outdoor Program and the South Dining Room where Panda Express is located.
The project would lower deferred maintenance in the EMU and make the building more energy efficient, according to Miller.
Student Recreation Center Auxiliary Weight Room and Expanded Cardio Area
Funding Request: $160,000
There are times when the Rec Center has more than 120 students in a 6,750 square foot weight room. According to the Rec Center’s project proposal, national benchmark standards indicate the SRC’s weight room should be 20,000 square feet. The proposed weight room would add 3,000 square feet.
The new areas will provide “spaces that are more welcoming to non-traditional students, women, students with disabilities and others who often feel intimidated in overcrowded facilities with so much glass and window visibility,” according to the proposal.
Student Recreation Center Synthetic Turf Intramural Field #1
Funding Request: $515,000
The Astroturf field next to 15th Avenue was install
ed at the time of the SRC expansion in 1999. According to the Rec Center’s proposal, “This field has reached the end of its useful life.”
“The field is into its 9th year of a 10-year life expectancy,” the proposal states. “To extend the field further creates the possibility of wear that will result in safety hazards.”
Careful maintenance could take the field through the 2008-09 school year, the proposal estimates, and a replacement field would be installed in summer of 2009 if the committee recommends it.
Others
Limited information was provided by University Planning regarding the other proposals to come before the committee today.
Planning Associate and Space Analyst Cathy Soutar said there are three proposals from the University Health Center: one regarding the south entrance of the facility with a request of $70,000; one regarding air and temperature systems with a request of $217,000; and one regarding security with a request of $40,000.
There may also be a proposal from the Career Center, but the Emerald did not receive details about the proposal before deadline.
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