Agenda

Date: February 23, 2026

Members: Warwick Arden, Charles Maimone, Krista Walton

Subcommittee Representatives: Allen Boyette, Alicia Knight, Barbara Moses, Bill Davis, Cameron Smith, Dana Harris, Eduardo Lorente, Lisa Johnson, Patrick Deaton, Sumayya Jones-Humienny

Guests: Chris Frey, Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure, College of Engineering

Approval of the Minutes: W. Arden (1 min.)

Consent Agenda Approval: 

1. Transportation Bus Maintenance and Office Facility, Space/Lease Request #26-04 A. Knight (5 mins.)

Campus Planning Subcommittee Items:

1. Delegated Authority Determinations: (One Item p.2 for info purposes only) S. Jones-Humienny (5 mins.) 
2. Action Items
   1. Advanced Research and Test Reactor Study Project #202314002 (Info Item 24.14) C. Frey (20 mins.)
3. Information Items
   1. 2025 State of Facilities (Info. Item 26.02) L. Johnson (10 mins.)
   2. Campus Development Call for Needs Update L. Johnson (10 mins.)
   3. Cates Avenue Plant Expansion (Info Item 26.01) A. Boyette (10 mins.)

Project Execution Subcommittee Items:

1. Updates: C. Smith (15 mins.)
   1. Mann Hall Renovation C. Smith/B. Davis (10 mins.)

Other Business:

Next Meeting:
March 23, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Minutes

Date: February 23, 2026

Members: Warwick Arden, Charles Maimone, Krista Walton

Subcommittee Representatives: Alicia Knight; Allen Boyette; Barbara Moses; Bill Davis; Cameron Smith; Dana Harris; Eduardo Lorente; Lisa Johnson; Patrick Deaton; Sumayya Jones-Humienny

Guests: Chris Frey, COE Assoc. Dean for Research and Infrastructure; Chris Ross, delegate for Alicia Knight

Approval of the Minutes:

The minutes of the January 26, 2026 meeting were approved and have been posted.

Consent Agenda Approval: 

1. 1. Transportation Bus Maintenance and Office Facility, Space/Lease Request # 26-04: Transportation requests to extend the lease term of the second private tenant, Hampton Farms, to continue receiving rent payment through 3/31/2031 and defray property operating costs. The Committee approved this request.

Campus Planning Subcommittee Items:

1. Delegated Authority Determinations:
   1. a. Campus Enterprises (CE), Dining Grab-n-Go Market, Park Shops, Space Request #26-02: CE requests to backfill DELTA’s Digital Media Offices in suite 120 and Storage 121 with a new Grab-n-Go Market to provide more robust food and beverage services adjacent to La Farm Bakery and Café. With its delegated authority, the Campus Planning Subcommittee approved the request, contingent on the proposed renovation work fitting within the budget.
2. Action Items
   1. Advanced Research and Test Reactor Study Project #202314002 (Info Item 24.14)
      1. The goals requested of the Committee are to:
         1. Move forward from the feasibility study.
         2. Confirm support for the ARTR.
         3. Support the $13M legislative funding request .
         4. Keep NC State University ready to lead the next generation of energy development.
      2. The proposed ARTR represents a strategic pivot to Generation IV technology (multipurpose sodium-cooled mixed/coupled spectrum design). This would be the only advanced sodium-cooled fast spectrum ARTR facility in the country.
         1. The ARTR has the potential to generate $1-2B annually for the State of NC.
         2. This sodium-cooled technology is designed with “walk away self-shutdown” enhanced safe-ty features.
         3. The proposed 16-acre site at Main Campus and Trailwood Drives accommodates other elements of an Integrated Energy System. The Molten Salt Loop (MSL) complements the ARTR, and the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) represent the opportunity to feed a micro grid.
            1. Without the MSL, the ARTR and TES could fit on 4-5 acres.
            2. A current study is reviewing site development options and associated costs.
         4. The existing reactor is the only operational PULSTAR reactor representing light-water technology in the world and is anticipated to reach its end-of-life in 10 to 15 years.
      3. The project team has been tracking upcoming federal and other funding opportunities. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act authorized $390M for university reactors to advance national security, workforce development, and utility partnerships that accelerate Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
         1. Three other universities are currently developing reactors. Their proposed reactors are different technologies and at different scales, leveraging a mix of federal, private, and state funds. However, all are potentially competing for federal funds.
         2. NC State lags behind these other universities’ development of their proposed ARTRs.
         3. To date, eight partners have submitted letters of support, including EPRI and GE Vernova Hitachi.
      4. The team requested the State Legislature fund $13M for Advanced Planning, allocated over a two-year period. This step will better define the scope, schedule, and cost of the project.
         1. The overall project cost is anticipated to be $509M for the “overnight” cost of design and construction, which is the present value, not including escalation that could add substantial cost. Currently, it is unclear how much funding the federal government will provide.
         2. Congress is potentially moving the $390M federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act to the DOE nuclear budget; however, neither this nor the timeline for the RFP funding opportunity has been confirmed.
         3. Federal funding will not be enough; therefore, support is needed from industry and the State of NC.
      5. The federal government recently issued the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus RFP. The College of Engineering (COE) and the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) are working on a response. Given the significance of the nuclear industry in the state, there is potential to position the state as a strong competitor with Raleigh as the research anchor, Wilmington as the industry anchor, and Charlotte as the business anchor.
         1. The deadline for responses is April 1, 2026.
         2. A separate meeting should be scheduled with Krista Walton, Julie Smith, and Mark Schmidt to discuss this further.
         3. COE confirmed with the program manager that the RFP response is required to come from the state.
      6. The next steps are to brief Chancellor Howell, present updates to the Board of Trustees and federal representatives, and then discuss the federal funding timeline. The MSL Study will be issued in May.
      7. The Committee noted that NC State’s site provision constitutes a major contribution and emphasized the project must be a joint effort between the University and the State of North Carolina. To facilitate this, the project team will define specific partner contributions, while University leader-ship engages state legislators. The Committee formally confirmed its support for the ARTR and the accompanying $13M legislative funding request.
3. Information Items
   1. 2025 State of Facilities (Info. Item 26.02) L. Johnson
      1. This report highlights the breadth and depth of NC State’s buildings, land, and infrastructure as the largest university in the state.
      2. It illustrates how the much the campus has grown, with a breakdown on space types and age of square footage.
      3. The Plan section introduces Infrastructure Planning that explains how infrastructure assets are the backbone of campus that support the University’s mission. With an estimated $1.6B in renewal costs for state appropriated infrastructure, it shows several examples of success when funding is adequate and failure when it is not.
      4. The Build section highlights impactful projects in progress, such as Woodson Hall (formerly the Integrative Sciences Building), and breaks down the number of projects by type.
      5. The Maintain and Operate section captures the split between reactive versus proactive maintenance work orders and showcases the impacts of sustainability measures, such as cogeneration energy efficiency and potable water reduction.
      6. Challenges for Leadership include creating and preserving the campus environment while negotiating compounded deferred repair and renovation needs, rising costs, and university growth.
         1. As an example, 110 Classroom space has not increased whereas student enrollment has substantially grown.
         2. The State Capital and Infrastructure Fund (SCIF) provided additional monies to benefit new construction and renovation projects.
         3. Facilities could plan better if funding were more consistent year to year. They will request $30M annually for Minor Repairs and Renovations to address needs more proactively.
      7. The Committee asked whether deferred maintenance costs transfer to research start-up packages. The answer depends on the specific building’s condition. One example is in Broughton Hall, which is the campus’s swing space building. The electrical panels and associated wiring distribution are well past their useful life and at imminent risk of failure. Replacement would cost $1M to serve an informal project swing space project that costs less than $300K. The Committee requested the report be dis-tributed and presented to the Buildings and Property Committee of the Board of Trustees at their April meeting.
   2. Campus Development Call for Needs Update L. Johnson
      1. In March, the Evaluation Working Group (EWG), comprised of Campus Planning Subcommittee members, continued to vet the scoring methodology, assess the preliminary rankings, and deter-mine how to factor in unfinished projects that may not have enough funding.
      2. The EWG also looks for changes from one cycle to the next. They questioned why one of the highly-ranked needs submitted in 2024 for the 110 Classroom shortage was not resubmitted in 2025. This omission was an oversight, and the needs request has since been resubmitted.
      3. The Formal Engagement presentations have been scheduled for April. The CPS will score the Impact and Importance factors that feed the overall score based on Proposal Drivers and Strategic Goals
      4. The Committee recommended that Fashaad Crawford be added to the Evaluation Working Group roster to assist with determining the needs’ alignment with the University’s Strategic Goals. [Sub-sequent to the meeting, F. Crawford recommended adding Courtney Thornton as well and both have been added.
   3. Cates Avenue Plant Expansion (Info Item 26.01) A. Boyette
      1. Parallel studies were conducted to determine the better means to provide thermal utilities for Cates West Development: either add a regional plant to Residence Building A or expand the Cates Central Utility Plant (CUP). The latter is the best practice long term and provides minor cost savings in the short term. The total cost estimate is $20.75M compared to the $21.58M budgeted amount.
      2. Each construction/renovation project needs to pay its “fair share” of CUP equipment, which is calculated based on thermal load demands. Housing and Dining’s combined assessment equals $10.9M.
      3. The difference between the total cost and the assessment covers the building expansion. Other funding sources are being considered to make up this difference, including state appropriations and Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs), as the CUP will enable next-generation energy effi-ciencies. This project was added to the 2024 Biennial Six Year Capital Plan, but the timing may be challenging to maintain the project’s schedule.
      4. This CUP expansion will be highly ranked in the Call for Needs scoring as it is an enabling project for Cates West Development. Plus, it sets the stage for any future development, such as the Poole College of Management new facility, New Education Building, 111 Lampe Renovation, etc.
      5. The Committee asked whether the CUP expansion will accommodate the future development. The response was that while the building expansion will allow space for additional equipment, these other projects will exceed its thermal capacity; therefore, those projects will also have to pay thermal assessments to procure and install their respective equipment.

Project Execution Subcommittee Items:

1. Updates: C. Smith (15 mins.)
   1. Mann Hall Renovation C. Smith/B. Davis
      1. a. Mann Hall Renovation: The College of Engineering (COE) is bringing additional funds to Mann to add to the $18M state appropriations awarded for Engineering Growth. Facilities is working on the capital authority request for $900K to go towards one major programmatic add alternate for the 1st Year De-sign Maker Space. $10M was requested in the Budget Bill for the 4th Floor Labs, which is another major programmatic add alternate

Other Business: N/A

Next Meeting:
March 23, 2026, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Meeting Adjourned: 3:00 PM