The MSU Board of Trustees approved multiple campus construction projects at their meeting today, including renovations to the Union and the first phases of construction for the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
Construction on the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, is expected to begin in a couple of weeks, and the site will begin to be cleared and excavation will begin in May, MSU Physical Plant planner Brad Bull said.
The $20 million project will be funded by Department of Energy Office of Science, state appropriations and MSU itself, according to board documents. The project involves excavation on the site, relocation of some utilities and other efforts and is expected to be substantially complete by June 2015.
Across campus, renovations to the Union’s first-floor lobby are scheduled to include new carpeting, a new circulation system and switching the locations of the post office and Biggby Coffee shop in the lobby. The project has a budget of $2,400,000 and is expected to be complete in August.
The board also authorized a plan to replace the existing scoreboards and sound system at Spartan Stadium, as well as a plan to demolish most buildings at the site of the old Michigan State Police Post located on Harrison road at a budget of $3 million.
The current scoreboard and sound system at Spartan Stadium has been there for approximately 12 years and the technology is outdated, Deputy Athletic Director Greg Ianni said.
“This is the next step of technology we need to add to the stadium,” Ianni said. “It will give us the opportunity to configure the board in many different ways (and) put our advertising up on the board and statistics.”
The renovation will also add a 10.5 foot video wall that runs across the north end of the stadium, Ianni said. The project has an estimated cost of $8 million. Construction is planned to begin in March and be substantially completed in August, with final completion slated for July 2013.
The old Michigan State Police Post was leased by Michigan State Police and will be back in possession of the university by May 1. Some of the buildings are infested with asbestos and will be demolished. Demolition costs are estimated at $3.1 million, with $1.25 million from the state.
Also during the meeting, the board approved the purchase of the Grand Rapids Rapids press building in downtown Grand Rapids and several parking properties, near the College of Human Medicine’s Secchia Center. Fred Poston, vice president for finance and operations, said planners believe the property will be used as the next area of expansion for the college. The property purchase cost $12 million, according to the Grand Rapids Press.
In addition, the board approved a plan to proceed with the creation of a River Trail neighborhood engagement center in McDonel Hall — the fourth engagement center on campus. The River Trail center is scheduled to open this August.
“Having faculty in the residence hall is a different way of engaging,” MSU Provost Kim Wilcox said.
“These engagement centers have generally been designed to be large, and we’re finding out they haven’t been large enough, so students are there.”
Engagement centers are located in residence halls neighborhood and were created to make different services — such as counseling, health care, and financial aid — available to students closer to where they live.
“We know that there are a number of students who are returning to live in the residence halls because of their experience with the engagement centers,” said Denise Maybank, Interim Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Services.
The trustees also approved a one-year contract extension for MSU football coach Mark Dantonio through 2017, and Robert Caldwell was approved as the university ombudsman at the meeting.
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