Meeting - December 7, 2020

Agenda

UNIVERSITY SPACE COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, December 7, 2020
Video Conference
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Approval of the Minutes – Arden (5 mins)

Consent Agenda (No Item(s) – Arden (0 mins)

Action Items

  1. COE ECE Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless (AERPAW), Phase II Tower and Node Deployment, Space Request #19-16 – S. Jones-Humienny (15 mins.)
    Guests:    Ismail Guvenc, Professor and Interim Associate – Head Computer Science Dept.
    Rudra Dutta, AERPAW PI and Electrical & Computer Science Professor

Information / Discussion Items

  1. Plant Sciences Milestones
    (Info Item 11) – L. Moore (20 mins.)
    Guest: Harry Daniels
  2. Fitts-Woolard Backfill (Info Item 12) – L. Johnson, S. Jones-Humienny, L. Moore (30 minutes)
    a. Mann Hall Virtual Tour
    b. COE Move from Page Hall to 111 Lampe
  3. OIT ComTech, Data Server Conversion to Office Space Hillsborough Building Space Request #20-12 – L. Moore (10 mins.)
  4. COVID-19 Impacts: Facilities Preparation for Spring 2021 Info Item 04 – L. Johnson (5 mins.)

Other Business:
Next Meeting: Monday, January 4, 2021, 200 PM – 3:30 PM
Adjourn

Minutes

UNIVERSITY SPACE COMMITTEE MEETING (USC)
December 07, 2020
Video Conference
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Members present: Warwick Arden; Charles Maimone; Mladen Vouk

Staff Support present: Alicia Knight; Cameron Smith; Catherine Phillips; Doug Morton; Imran Aukhil; Jonathan Horowitz; Katherine Stewart; Lisa Johnson; Lisa Van Roekel; Liz Moore;; Matt Peterson; Sumayya Jones-Humienny

Guests: Jessie Askew; Barbara Moses; Lori Johnson; Ismail Guvenc ; Rudra Dutta ; Harry Daniels

Additional Distribution: Duane Larick; Louis Hunt; Margery Overton

Approval of the Minutes

The minutes of the October 05, 2020 meeting were approved and have been posted.

Approval of the Consent Agenda

N/A

Action Items

  1. COE ECE Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless (AERPAW), Phase II Tower and Node Deployment, Space Request #19-16: S. Jones- Humienny reintroduced guests Ismail Guvenc and Rudra Dutta with AERPAW and presented a summary of the Phase I space request, executed memos, node and equipment types and installations to date, and the proposed phase two node and equipment installations. Staff Support had requested additional information on the capacity of the purpose-built poles to withstand gale-force winds and the possibility of supporting additional equipment from telecommunication companies (telcos), assuming the additional equipment would not interfere with the AERPAW signals. University Real Estate & Development (URED) has hired a consultant to investigate the feasibility of implementing 5G service on campus. Limiting excessive proliferation of various research and enterprise technology nodes/poles is desired. Before leaving the meeting, I. Guvenc and R. Dutta answered some questions regarding reuse of some equipment enclosures at rooftops, new enclosures elsewhere, and the purpose-built poles that are designed to house light fixtures. The committee subsequently asked if the purpose-built poles could support banners and whether there had been any budget adjustments to cover the former funding deficit. The committee conditionally approved Phase II node locations and equipment pending provision of satisfactory answers to their and Staff Support’s questions and the project being budget neutral. They directed AERPAW and ComTech to continue working with Staff Support and URED to resolve the details and to be mindful of equipment installation as the Innovation District development moves forward on Centennial Campus.

Information Items

  1. Plant Sciences Milestones (Info Item 16.11): L. Moore presented the 12/7/2020 Plant Sciences Building (PSB) Milestone Summary and the salient points from the NC Plant Sciences Initiative (PSI) Memorandum of Understanding for Project Participants and the PSB Space Allocation Guidelines, both dated 10/26/2020. Guest Harry Daniels answered questions regarding the Executive Director and Plant Sciences Director position being one and the same, the intention to maintain the three types of space for full program, partial program, and floating occupants to allow flexibility for different programs with different needs, and the goal for building occupancy of 80% at any given time. These determinations were based on lessons learned from Purdue University’s Discovery Park model. The committee commended the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) on their level of detail and commitment in drafting these governance documents and noted that this framework will help inform other buildings like the forthcoming Integrative Sciences Building. They recommend that CALS maintain the space type balance to avoid permanence of projects or occupants and to promote flexibility.
  2. Fitts-Woolard Backfill, Mann Hall Options (Info Item 18.12), College of Engineering (COE) Move from Page Hall to 111 Lampe Dr.: L. Johnson noted that the original plan was to move Academic Affairs to Fitts-Woolard along with the Dean’s Administration, Civil Construction and Environmental Engineering (CCEE), and the Fitts Industrial Systems and Engineering (ISE) departments. Subsequently, COE decided to leave them on North Campus to focus on First Year students’ academic needs. Academic Affairs, Information Technology and Engineering Computer Services (ITECS), and Engineering Online (EOL) will vacate Page Hall and move to 111 Lampe Dr. as part of the approved Fitts-Woolard backfill plan. L. Moore presented a Fitts-Woolard Backfill summary dated 12/7/2020 indicating that nearly 70 people in the three aforementioned departments and Computer Science must move within 111 Lampe and from Page Hall, along with a preliminary cost estimate. The scope of work includes: the move plan and furniture fit design; selective purchase of furniture systems; minor renovations, including an EOL media production room, minor repairs, selective finish work; and the move. The university has requested Repair and Renovation funding to address the backfill plan’s renovations and moves for a number of years, but none was appropriated. The committee concurred that this is a high priority and that D. Morton should discuss this further with the Office of Finance and Administration and the College of Engineering to seek a funding resolution. 

    S. Jones-Humienny apprised the committee that Staff Support will conduct a virtual tour of Mann Hall at the next meeting to relay a better understanding of the building and its capabilities when reviewing the proposed backfill plan options.

  3. Office of Information Technology (OIT) Communication Technologies (ComTech), Data Server Conversion to Office Space, Hillsborough Building, Space Request #20-12: L. Moore presented the request for the vacated server room space. OIT continues to grow FTE staff in several of their eight departments to support the university’s strategic plan for research support, application development, and compliance with IT security standards. They also need dedicated space for project teams working on equipment. The Office of the University Architect (OUA) has been working with OIT over the past several years to densify and gain efficiencies in the three buildings they occupy: Avent Ferry Technology Center; West Dunn; and the Hillsborough building, before the decision was made to move the server equipment out. The committee questioned how much work can be done virtually and what the highest and best use of the vacated space is, given its location L. Moore noted that nearly a dozen OIT occupants on the Mezzanine must be relocated regardless of who occupies the former server space due to lack of elevator access and compliance with code. The committee recommended proceeding with an analysis of OIT’s space needs and a study for a holistic plan of the Hillsborough Building.
  4. COVID-19 Impacts: Facilities Preparation for Spring 2021, Info Item 20.04: L. Johnson reviewed the measures that collaborating university units are undertaking to prepare for spring classes. OUA is changing the social distancing classroom seat spacing from a 4’-0” minimum to 6’-0” per the Task Forces’ recommendations. OUA will reconfigure the seating plans, rearrange the furniture, and re-sign where to sit accordingly. Energy Systems (ES) produced a list of classrooms with lesser HVAC capability in which to avoid scheduling and Registration and Records has identified from the remainder a list of classrooms to use for teaching, video capture, and events. D. Morton added that some classroom buildings are currently in energy-savings mode since they are largely unoccupied, so ES is now adjusting the HVAC systems to increase outside air intake and air changes per hour (ACH) for better ventilation plus increasing the filtration level from Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) 10 to MERV 13. L. Johnson noted that OUA is also working with five colleges that requested help with 210 Teaching Labs and a variety of other spaces as requested for social distancing layouts. Facilities will update the video they produced last semester to inform the campus community of the measures being taken. The committee noted that Deans did not previously understand how many proactive measures were taken to prepare for classes, so the Provost will hold more frequent informational meetings and may ask Facilities to attend on a regular basis.

Other Business

S. Jones-Humienny noted that the request for lab space to conduct on-campus surveillance and testing for Covid-19 was determined to be housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine facilities, but the details for location, duration, extent of scope, etc. have not yet have been determined. Provost Arden indicated that it will take more work than originally thought at considerable investment to upfit and equip the lab.

Next Meeting:

As C. Maimone announced he will not be available to attend the Monday, January 4, 2020 meeting from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, it will need to be rescheduled.

Meeting Adjourned at 3:00 PM.