Minutes

UNIVERSITY SPACE COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, June 12, 2017
Holladay Hall, Conference Room 18
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Present:  Warwick Arden; Scott Douglass; Alan Rebar; Jeff Bandini; Lisa Johnson; Sumayya Jones-Humienny; Louis Hunt; Lauren Joyner; Liz Moore; Doug Morton; Margery Overton; Matt Peterson; Cameron Smith; Harlan Stafford; Cynthia Williford.

Guests: Sylvia Blankenship; Reid Evans; Steven Lommel.

Approval of the Minutes
The minutes of the April 24, 2017 meeting were approved and have been posted.

Approval of the Consent Agenda
There were no items on the agenda.

Information / Discussion Items
1. Lake Wheeler Road Field Labs Conference Center – Proposed Site Selection Study (Info Item 17.05): Moore presented a map of the Lake Wheeler Rd. Field Labs Master Plan and gave background information regarding the formulation and approval of the plan. She stated that the college was proposing to begin a site study for locating a conference center and indicated the region that had been designated as a placeholder in the master plan. The study would include the conference center as well as the other low level office / lab buildings envisioned to house university and partner groups. S. Blankenship stated that the facility would provide a different experience from the McKimmon Center. As part of the strategic mission to be a community engagement gateway, the goal was to create a family and public-friendly destination site to educate visitors about production agriculture and food systems. R. Evans stated that the facility was envisioned as a keystone for bringing the public to Lake Wheeler Field Labs and that would contain conditioned space to seat 250-300 people. S. Lommel added that it would be a multipurpose building modeled after the Beck Agricultural Center at Purdue with high bay space for farm shows, equipment demonstration, and possibly labs designed for certification and licensing. S. Blankenship stated that the study will provide a vision, project scope, site, and preliminary cost estimates which will help with fundraising.  The committee endorsed the college proceeding with the site study.

2. “110” Classroom Scheduling: Memo to College Deans and Scheduling Officers (Info Item 06): L. Hunt gave background information on the 2013 committee action (Info Item 12.11) that put all “110” classrooms under Registration and Records’ (R&R) control for the purpose of maximizing utilization of the rooms. He stated that the recommended memo was intended as a reminder, since departments were still preplacing course sections rather than going through R&R’s scheduling optimization process. L. Johnson added that, still to be resolved, was the issue of the additional funding needed for centralized maintenance of the classrooms and their equipment. The committee approved sending the memo.

3. Varsity Research Building (VRB) Next Steps and Phase I – Proposed Backfill Plan for Vacated Space (Into Item 13.06): L. Johnson gave the history of the building, from its initial use as swing space for numerous departments during the 2000 Higher Education Bond construction, to its later repurposing for short-term grant-related activities, to the committee’s directive to reallocate 8 modules to the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology (DEPP). She reviewed the phases that had been completed, and those that remained, in order to achieve moving DEPP into the building. She discussed the spaces in other buildings that would be vacated as a result of the move, and several recommendations for the committee’s consideration as the project moved forward. She stated that staff was proposing action on two of the recommendations: 1.) Reallocation of the space that would be vacated in Thomas Hall to CFEP; and 2.) Approving funding for the design of VRB Phase II. The committee approved recommendation number 1.) All space in Thomas Hall that will be vacated by VRB Phase I will be earmarked for the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program. The committee also committed to meet and discuss recommendation number 2.), to review university priorities before approving funding for the design of VRB Phase II. The staff support were directed to work with NC Clean Energy Technology on a fit plan that will consolidate the department from modules 4 and 5 into module 1.

4. Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program (CFEP) (Info Item 15.08): Overton stated that Biomedical Engineering (BME) was interested in leasing space on the second floor of the Biomedical Partnership Center (BPC), slated to open in August 2017. This would fulfill the Provost’s portion of lease space within BPC. This move would allow for CFEP to backfill BME space at Engineering Building III. A. Rebar was in favor of locating BME on the CVM Biomedical Campus. W. Arden stated that BME would be responsible for all leasing costs for the space.

5. I-440 Widening Impact to Brickhaven Dr. Buildings (Info Item 17.04): L. Johnson presented the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed reconfiguration of I-440 at the Hillsborough St. interchange. The overlay showed how the project would impact the three university buildings on Brickhaven Dr.: 516 and 520 Brickhaven Dr. would be demolished by the project, and 520 would lose 68 parking spaces. She stated that reparations for the loss of parking at 512 Brickhaven should be included in the agreement with the OT. J. Bandini stated that the Office of General Council and his office were working on the agreement with DOT. His office was also assisting the Gregg Museum with locating climate-controlled storage space for collections that would not be relocating to the new museum on Hillsborough St. He stated that the earliest that 516 and 520 Brickhaven Dr. would be demolished was summer or fall of 2018.

6. Capital Projects Status (Info Item 16.10): Smith distributed a handout and answered questions regarding the current status of some projects. He stated that early site work would begin at the Plant Sciences Initiative Building (PSI) before July of 2019, and construction on Engineering Building Oval was expected to begin a year from now. A. Rebar confirmed that a University Core Facility was planned for PSI, but stated that it must be located on one floor and not split among three floors. Subsequent to the meeting, the design team confirmed that the Core Facility will be on one floor.

Meeting Adjourned at 3:22 PM.