Citing budget concerns, Ohio University's Board of Trustees unanimously postponed a $5.7 million dollar expansion to Porter Hall and the demolition of Anderson Laboratory.
Approximately $3.7 million from the state of Ohio and $3.5 million of university funding were earmarked for the $7.2 million project. The university is not sure how the money from the project will be reshuffled, if at all, but the decision will be made in time for the next board meeting in April, said George Mauzy, OU media specialist.
The board postponed the project, which has been planned since November 2002, at its meeting Friday in Chillicothe. Trustees cited concerns over an expected budget shortfall of $6 million to $11 million, first announced at a university news conference last week.
Construction was to begin on the Porter Hall addition in June, and would be completed before the demolition of Anderson Laboratory. Improved access to the new Baker University Center from Richland Avenue requires the destruction of Anderson, which is used by the psychology department. The laboratory space in Anderson will be replaced by the Porter Hall addition.
The psychology department was looking at carpet swatches for the addition Friday, said Margret Appel, the psychology department's assistant chair for undergraduate studies. She hadn't heard about the board's decision until Friday afternoon but laughed as she reflected on the morning's preoccupation with carpet color, comparing it to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Oxbow Trail is the only road to Baker Center's first floor. A heavy-duty road capable of supporting truck and bus traffic would be built from Richland Avenue to Baker over the Anderson lab site.
The combined cost of the destruction of Anderson Lab, work on the Bird Arena parking lot and heavy-duty road construction is $730,000.
Anderson Lab was built in 1973 for animal testing by the psychology department. The lab received a $200,000 addition in 2002, one month before the decision was made to demolish the building.
University Funding of the Porter/Anderson Project
Total: $3,523,716
College of Arts and Sciences: $2,002,443
Baker University Center: $700,000
Office of the Provost: $571,273
Department of Psychology: $250,000
Source: Ohio University Communications and Marketing
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