Pitt approves 110 million dollars for campus projects

Pitt approved several projects during yesterday’s trustees meeting. But, they won’t be… Pitt approved several projects during yesterday’s trustees meeting. But, they won’t be footing most of the bill.

The Property and Facilities Management Committee of the Board of Trustees approved another $110 million for four on-campus renovation projects and two off-campus leases. More than $25 million for the projects will come out of Pitt’s budget, and the rest will come from federal or state sources.

The committee approved renovations to the Thomas E. Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, Salk Hall, Benedum Hall and a fourth project at Langley and Crawford Halls. The University also approved a pair of leases from City View Properties, LLC — one on Forbes Avenue and another on Meyran Avenue.

The projects included $80 million in allocations from the state government, which Pitt spokesman John Fedele said was separate from the University’s annual appropriation from Harrisburg. Fedele said the funds from Pitt come from the University’s capital budget.

An amount of $50 million from the state will go to almost fully fund an addition and renovations at Salk Hall, with a controbution from Pitt of  more than $600,000. The addition will include four floors of laboratory space and offices, as well as another loading dock for the building. Pitt plans for the project to attain LEED Silver certification for sustainability.

Benedum Hall’s renovations will be funded by $30 million from the state, and an additional $9 million from Pitt. The plans will update utilities and ventilation in the building to accommodate research at the Swanson School of Engineering.

The National Institutes of Health will fully supply the nearly $14 million to go to renovation of the 12th floor laboratories of the Biomedical Science Tower. Fedele said the $13.9 million from the National Institutes of Health was allocated solely for that construction, and not for any specific research project.

The renovations at Langley and Crawford Halls will include a new laboratory suite of Biosafety Levels two and three on the fifth floor of the hall. The renovations will include a biocontainment barrier and specialty air systems to meet the National Institutes of Health laboratories guide. Pitt will fund the entire $6-million project.

The two leases from City View were for grant-funded projects in the University’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Department of Neurological Surgery. Together, the leases will cost more than $400,000 a year. They included options for the University to back out of the leases with 90 days written notice.

John Pelusi, the chairman of the Facilities Management Committee, said after the meeting that although the University prefers to do most of its research “in-house,” the leases provided a flexible alternative for projects funded by research grants.

“It helps the community, and it helps landlords who rent these spaces,” he said of the leases. “And if these grants aren’t renewed, then it offers great flexibility for the University.”