The MSU Board of Trustees will meet Friday to discuss proposals to proceed with construction at the MSU Cyclotron building, establish plans to replace the Main Library’s chilled water system and approve an expansion of IBM located inside the MSU Federal Credit Union’s former Crescent Road headquarters.
The board is scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. in Room 401 of the Administration Building.
Cyclotron construction
The board’s Trustee Finance Committee will recommend to continue a project to construct a new high bay addition that will house parts of the facility’s reaccelerator, as well as its new experimental equipment and beam lines.
Those components will be used for numerous research projects approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, said Paul Zeller, building engineer for the Cyclotron.
The committee also seeks approval of a budget of $5.4 million for the project.
“It is much needed space,” Zeller said.
“We’re extremely cramped in the facilities right now. The additions will allow us to continue important research.”
If approved, construction is slated to begin in November 2010 and last no longer than a year.
Chilled water
The Main Library will be the focus of a potential new project on campus to replace the building’s chilled water system that assists in sustaining building temperature and humidity.
With more than 4.5 million volumes and 33,000 publications in addition to maps and other resources, the building’s collections requires a specific atmosphere that would not degrade the materials, according to a Trustee Finance Committee document.
Funding for the project is expected to come from the university general fund at an estimated $8 million.
“Tomorrow, they’re requesting step one approval to plan — it’s not technically a project until the board approves,” said Karen Zelt, spokeswoman for the Physical Plant.
MSUFCU, IBM plan
A recommendation to construct a new MSUFCU branch and expand IBM’s presence at the credit union’s former headquarters also will be proposed to the board.
Should the proposal pass, IBM company officials hope to hire “hundreds” more at MSUFCU’s old headquarters. MSUFCU also will be given permission to construct a new branch on the northeast corner of Farm Lane and Mount Hope Road.
“Why not? To me, any expansion of IBM on our campus is an incredibly positive things for not only our university but the Lansing community,” Trustee Melanie Foster said on Wednesday.
“This is not exactly like putting the facility in the middle of campus — it’s a location that’s part of
campus that wouldn’t interfere with student activities.”
Staff writer Lauren McKown contributed to this story.
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