September 8, 2011 Meeting Minutes

Construction Junction

Construction Planning and Progress Meeting
206 Old Horticulture Building
September 8, 2011

Overview:
Construction Junctions are the Physical Plant’s monthly public meeting designed to update/inform the public of various projects currently in design, nearing construction and under construction. Agenda items included:

• Steve Troost
  • Update on Campus Master Plan
• Todd Wilson
  • Library – Chiller Replacement
• Leisa Williams-Swedberg
  • Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum
• Andy Linebaugh
  • Plant Science Expansion
  • Brody Complex Utility Infrastructure Improvements Phase 3 (Closure on Kalamazoo)
• Ken Dawson
  • Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research
  • Emmons Hall Renovation
• Nick Wilk
  • Bailey and Rather Hall Renovations

Update on Campus Master Plan

• Pressures on land use include smart growth (using our land wisely, establishing appropriate building densities, avoiding sprawl through compact development patterns, maximizing utility distribution efficiencies, and protecting valuable natural resources.
  • Adding on to Wells Hall instead of building a new facility is one example of smart growth
• The University would like to reuse the parcel of land where the old state police post is located for a variety of service-related uses and perimeter parking.
• The University, in partnership with the City of East Lansing and CATA, is considering repurposing the parcel of land between the two railroads west of Harrison Road for a multi-modal transit station
  • The new station would include additional parking
  • Four university buildings would be demolished to make this possible
• The Cherry Lane Apartments, Faculty Bricks and future Spartan Village demolitions provide approximately 170 acres of opportunity for redevelopment. These parcels will be classified as mixed use in the University Zoning Ordinance.
  • The Faculty Bricks and Cherry Lane parcels will be used for facilities with a strong correlation to core university mission.
  • Due to its location farther from the Central Academic District, Spartan Village will more likely see land uses focusing around public/private partnerships.
• The President’s Boldness by Design vision, calls for growth in scientific research. Facilities must support cross unit collaboration for both teaching and research. Research activities today area focusing around the clustering of people and resources, collaborative teams, which is in turn driving space requirements. In addition, the University is working hard to optimize the use of existing space in order to meet demand, conserve resources, and enhance energy management.
• The university’s Capital Outlay Request SFY12 to the State of Michigan identifies approximately  900,000 gross square feet of new construction and 1,900,000 gross square feet of renovations priority needs
  • The Campus Master Plan provides approximately 12 million gross square feet of growth opportunity, which at historic rates of growth gives us flexibility over the next 60 years.
• Safety is the number one priority in planning for the campus circulation system.
• We prioritize pedestrians first, then bicycles, then busses, and finally private automobiles in planning the circulation system.
• Our planning strategy is to look into Transportation Demand Management concepts, which promotes the management of moving people to, from and around campus rather than cars. To do this we need a suite of transportation options that will encourage people to leave their car at home. More than 50 percent of our roadways now have bike lanes.
• In the near term we will see changes to:
  • West Circle Drive will be reconstructed as part of a major four-year utility enhancement project. In the end two lanes of counter-clockwise traffic will be combined with a bike lane moving in the same direction of traffic.
  • The Bessey Hall Parking Ramp is nearing the end of its useful life.  Following campus planning principles, we will relocated this parking to the perimeter and provide enhanced bus service, including express shuttles during peak need to move people from their car to their campus destination.
  • Bogue Street will close between Shaw and Wilson Road as part of the Faciltiy for Rare Isotope Beams project and the Shaw/Bogue traffic circle will be rebuild into a traditional signalized intersection to meet ADA 201 regulations.
  • Wilson Road will be extended out to Hagadorn Road with a smart-signal coordinating the vehicular traffic with the railroad crossing enhancing both vehicular and pedestrian safety.
• Michigan State won the bronze award from the American League of Bicyclists for being bike friendly
  • Over half of campus roadways have bike lanes
  • We employ a complete street philosophy, which will add bike lanes to all appropriate roadways in the future
  • A dedicated bike/pedestrian corridor along the south side of the Red Cedar River is in planning pending funding that will link with the Lansing River Trail and future enhancements within Meridian Township.
• The university is practicing environmental stewardship by optimizing resources,  managing energy and infrastructure, keeping the campus compact and reusing buildings
• Visit www.masterplan.msu.edu for more information

Q: In six years, will there be no more university apartments?
A: There is a much reduced demand for university apartments, so they will be moving away from that.

Q: Could you put in more residence halls?
A: I’m sure there will be more discussion on that in the future.

Q: Do you mean to remove surface parking or just ramps?
A: The issue is not to get rid of it, just to replace it and put it somewhere else. We know we need to have parking in the center academic district, but we want to move parking to the perimeter. We are looking at shuttles to bring people into the campus.

Q: Do you have a time frame?
A: Within the next five years. Shaw Hall renovations will be within the next two years.

Q: In the 2020 plan, central parking was going to become green space. Where is that going to be?
A: The idea was to close both Shaw Lanes and allow that area to be for bus service, bicycles and pedestrians. Closing both Shaw Lanes seems very problematic. We are considering leaving the south lane open and making it a two-way road instead of a one-way. My concern is that Farm Lane will see more traffic over time. We want to find a way to curb students driving to class.

Library – Chiller Replacement

• Work is being done on the chillers that cool the building, but there is also an electrical upgrade and a restoration of the plaza
  • The new plaza will include a seating area, a speed table  and will be universally barrier free
• A section of the steam tunnel is opened so a 12-inch steam line can be replaced
• Barrier-free parking spaces have been added
• There is excavating and waterproofing happening in the back of the library
• Back entrance will be closed in a few weeks and will remain closed until April 2012

Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum

• The museum will now be called “the Broad”
• The roofing work is underway
  • The materials for valleys and gutters for the roof is on top of building
• Parking lots in the area have been reopened
• Instillation of steel studs and waterproofing for the building have begun
• Interior spray-on insulation is being put on
• Building information modeling is being used to increase productivity
• Framing of the interior has begun
  • Interior stairwells have been built
• The building is being primed to adhere waterproofing
• The roadway is open
• The exterior will have a pleated skin
• The grand opening next is scheduled for April
• There is a webcam available for live shots of the construction

Q: Will you be using tar in roofing?
A: No.

Q: Is it going to be a maintenance and repair building or departmental?
A: Maintenance and repair

Plant Science Expansion

• The project is on budget and on schedule
• It will be substantially complete in November
• There is a lot of exterior site work and utilities work going on
• Materials are being delivered via sky tracks
• The common area where the buildings connect is being worked on
• The metal tables in the auditorium on first floor are being installed
• There are brick pavers and concrete in the plaza with art work inside gathering space
• Fume hoods are waiting to be installed on second floor
• You can do a virtual tour of the building on YouTube

Q: Is the auditorium a replacement for the old auditorium?
A: Yes

Brody Complex Utility Infrastructure Improvements Phase 3 (Closure on Kalamazoo)

• The construction is located on the corner of Harrison Road and Kalamazoo Street
• The project was supposed to be done last month, but new slides and guides needed to be ordered
• The steam tunnel will be open until the end of Sept.
• The sidewalks are open and will remain open, but lane taper will remain in place until the end of Sept.
• The traffic signal at the corner of Harrison Road and Kalamazoo Street is installed
  • All pedestrian walkways at the intersection are open

Bott Building for Nursing Education and Research

• It is a three story addition for the College of Nursing
• It is one of the first buildings on campus to get a grant from the National Institute of Health
• The footings of the foundation are being finished
• The first floor decking is going on and concrete being poured
  • This is a critical milestone because it gives the building support strength
• The steel will be up by Halloween
• There is a webcam view of the construction on project page and a video about the geothermal field

Emmons Hall Renovation

• Glass walls are being used to bring in natural light
• The building includes a touch screen enunciator panel to show fire exits during emergencies, weather and dining hall menus
  • Energy display monitors show students the buildings energy usage
• The lounge area has new furniture and has a view of the amphitheater
• The community bathrooms are renovated
  • Cement plaster ceilings and ceramic tile makes the bathrooms waterproof
• Newly renovated living corridors include lights above every door so students can always see out of the peep hole to identify visitors
• There is a study area in laundry room with a lot of natural light

Q: Are other Brody Neighborhood buildings going to have the same design?
A: No. The windows will be the same, but they will have different architectural themes and different color schemes.

Bailey and Rather Hall Renovations

• Life safety systems are being updated
• The exterior is being redone
• The amphitheater is under construction and will be completed at the end of this month
  • The amphitheater will be leveled out by the end of this week
• Bailey Hall has new windows being installed
  • The instillation will be finished in a week and a half
• Bailey Hall will have a glass curtain wall to allow natural light to enter
• In Rather Hall the focus is on renovating the bathrooms
• In Rather Hall, students will be able to look down from the second floor to the first floor
• The roads in front of Bailey and Rather Halls will be closed until May