‘Renew Mizzou’ Project Continues MU’s Stewardship Model to Improve Academic Performance, Safety of Historic Francis Quadrangle Buildings
May 23, 2013
Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Utilizing the University of Missouri’s stewardship renovation model, MU is planning a $22.85 million project to improve the academic performance of Swallow Hall and install safety features, including a sprinkler system and new fire alarm, in Jesse Hall, pending approval from the UM Board of Curators. In addition, the decommissioning of Pickard Hall will continue. The project, “Renew Mizzou,” will eliminate the need for more than $14.3 million in deferred-maintenance costs associated with these buildings. The initial cost for this project will come from various campus funding sources.
“We take our responsibility of providing quality academic buildings and maintaining our structures very seriously,” said Gary Ward, associate vice chancellor-facilities. “The Mizzou Stewardship Model successfully funded the renovation of Tate and Switzler halls, adding five classrooms and 34 faculty offices by using funds from our maintenance budget for these buildings that otherwise would have been spent merely maintaining outdated structures. Addressing these three historic buildings on the Quadrangle using this model is essential to our students, staff, faculty and anyone who visits our outstanding museums housed in Pickard and Swallow, home to priceless artifacts. Jesse Hall, along with the Columns, is the iconic core of Missouri’s flagship university.”
Renew Mizzou will address three issues:
Improving the academic performance of buildings. In Swallow Hall, renovating the building could gain up to 5,000 gross square feet (gsf) that is currently unusable. The additional space will contain quality classroom/multipurpose space. Also, the existing space will be renovated to be more flexible and reconfigurable to be used for both office and dry lab space.
Timeline:
- May 2014 – faculty and staff will move from building.
- June 2014 – construction begins.
- Summer 2015 – construction ends; faculty and staff move back in the building. Building ready for the fall 2015 semester.
- COST: $11.5 million
Installing safety features. Workers will install a sprinkler system, new fire alarm system and a second elevator, and update the heating and cooling systems in Jesse Hall.
Timeline:
- March –June 2014 – staff will move from the building.
- July 2014 – construction begins.
- April 2015 – construction ends.
- April – June 2015 – staff move back into the building.
- COST: $9.85 million
Decommissioning Pickard Hall. As has been reported previously, portions of Pickard Hall still contain some radiation that resulted from experiments conducted in the 1900s. While remediation of the radioactive materials has been ongoing and the portion of the building that is currently in use is safe, university officials will take this opportunity to clear the entire building, conduct further testing and perform any necessary additional work.
Timeline:
- Oct. – Dec. 2013 – faculty & staff and museum move from building.
- Building will be empty by Dec. 31, 2013.
- January 2014 – testing begins. Timeline for completion is dependent on test results.
- COST: $1.5 million (for move and preparation of space for the museum only; costs for testing dependent upon assessment of facility.)
As its 19th Century buildings age, MU’s list of deferred-maintenance projects grows by more than $20 million each year. However, only $13.3 million is allocated to the maintenance budget annually ($5.7 million of which is required for daily service needs, leaving only $7.6 million for proactive maintenance projects). As a result, in the past four years, Campus Facilities initiated the “Mizzou Stewardship Model,” which focuses on renovating entire academic buildings to meet current codes, adding classroom and faculty office space, and removing the building from a list of 30 buildings requiring continual maintenance. The money saved in maintenance of renovated buildings can then be used to pay for additional deferred-maintenance projects.
“We are currently using the Mizzou Stewardship Model as we renovate Gwynn Hall,” Ward said. “By renovating Gwynn, we are transforming more than 4,000 gsf of inactive or under-used space into world-class teaching and research space, improving accessibility, eliminating $9.2 million in deferred-maintenance costs, and improving the overall academic performance of the building.”
Ward said that the Jesse Hall project addresses safety issues that had been planned for the past several years.
“Jesse Hall is an iconic building representing our university and our state,” Ward said. “It houses about 600 full- and part-time staff who serve thousands of current and prospective students, parents and others who visit our campus daily. Installing a sprinkler system and upgrading the fire alarm system is a safety and building preservation issue that we shouldn’t ignore. We want to continue to address the issues in Pickard Hall to complete the decommissioning process; since we now have available, workable space in the former Ellis Fischel Hospital, we have determined the most effective way to continue necessary testing in Pickard is to completely empty the building during the process.”
Once Swallow Hall renovations are complete, anthropology and art history and archaeology faculty and staff will all move back into Swallow Hall prior to the beginning of the fall 2015 semester. The Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of Art & Archaeology will be housed at Mizzou North, formerly Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, for the foreseeable future. Jesse Hall staff will return to their building when the work is complete.
MU administrators have been working on a plan to move faculty and staff to the most efficient areas of campus for their particular operations. Some staff in other campus buildings will be moved temporarily so that services needing to stay close to the center of campus can do so. For more details, see chart.
“RENEW MIZZOU” TEMPORARY RELOCATION INFORMATION
| OFFICES | CURRENT LOCATION | TEMPORARY LOCATION |
| Chancellor, Deputy Chancellor, Provost, Deputy Provost, University Affairs, Visitor Relations | Jesse Hall | Reynolds Alumni Center |
| Admissions, Student Financial Aid, Cashiers, Registrar (certain functions only), Accounting (outpost/certain functions only) | Jesse Hall | West Reading Rooms, Ellis Library |
| Graduate School, International Programs | Jesse Hall | McReynolds Hall |
| Registrar (certain functions), Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Student Information Systems, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies | Jesse Hall | Heinkel Building |
| News Bureau, Constituent Relations, University Events | Jesse Hall | Hillel Center (leased space) |
| Office of Research, Office of Sponsored Programs Administration, Budget, Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services, Business Services, Accounting Services, and “behind-the-scenes” staff of Cashiers, Office of Admissions and Student Financial Aid | Jesse Hall | Mizzou North (former Ellis Fischel Cancer Center building) |
| Concert Series staff and some KBIA staff | Jesse Hall | Missouri Theatre |
| Entire staff of Swallow Hall and Pickard Hall, including Museum of Art & Archaeology and the Museum of Anthropology | Swallow Hall and Pickard Hall | Mizzou North (former Ellis Fischel Cancer Center building) |
| Web Communications | McReynolds Hall | Rock Quarry Center |
| Publications & Alumni Communications | Reynolds Alumni Center | Rock Quarry Center |
| Marketing | Jesse Hall | Rock Quarry Center |