John LeFevre, Physical Plant engineer and architect, said during the meeting it is anticipated the Board of Trustees will approve to plan for a new scoreboard at Spartan Stadium.

The expected additions are slated to include a large board at the south end of the stadium with two twin boards with speakers on the north side. According to board documents, the project is slated to cost about $8 million.

“(After approval), it will go through an internal construction management process, and renderings and details of the project will be published sometime in January,” he said.

LeFevre said hopes are that if approved, the scoreboard will be installed by the 2012 fall football season.

He also described an upcoming steam project coming to the West Circle Neighborhood and surrounding areas.

If approved by the Board of Trustees at a later meeting, initial work to replace steam tunnels — some nearly 100 years old — at approximately $20.2 million will begin in late February 2012 through the end of the year, LeFevre said. Further work in the area is expected to conclude by 2015 and increase the price tag by millions.

The segment to be replaced first includes tunnels looping from Beal Street east to the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, and road closures along this path will go into effect. Work on tunnels near IM Sports-Circle and the Main Library will be worked on after next year, he said.

“(It will) effectively replace and update the entire infrastructure of this area of campus,” LeFevre said.

Demolition of buildings on the old Michigan State Police headquarters site on Harrison Road is slated to begin in January 2012, said Dennis Hansen, a senior landscape architect.

“(We’ll) remove most of these buildings for this phase of the project (and) reduce it to a parking lot that’ll be used for overflow for special events,” he said.

Officials also spoke about renovations at Case Hall’s cafeteria and the new Sparty’s Convenience Store at that location.

The project is slated for public use in January 2012, project representative Tony Rhodes said.
Athletic training senior Haley Ward said she will check out the new cafeteria next month and see how it differs with other options across campus.

“I’ve been over to Brody (Square), and I like the variety compared to other options,” she said. “Case (Hall cafeteria) would be a good addition.”

For updates during today’s MSU Board of Trustees meeting, check statenews.com or follow along on Twitter at twitter.com/thesnews.