Wyatt said, adding that the renovations are large and require multi-phase plans.
Administrators stressed that much of the plan remains uncertain, and some of the projects could be delayed as state funding and plans of the Ohio Board of Regents remain volatile.
The Ohio University Board of Trustees will vote on a 10-year, $405 million plan to renovate university buildings today.
The money would come from state and auxiliary funding as well as donations and would help renovate current buildings, said Harry Wyatt, associate vice president for facilities, at the board's resources committee meeting yesterday.
The major theme in this update is rehabilitation of existing space rather than building new. There are no new buildings proposed in this master plan Wyatt said, adding that the renovations are large and require multi-phase plans.
Administrators stressed that much of the plan remains uncertain, and some of the projects could be delayed as state funding and plans of the Ohio Board of Regents remain volatile.
The committee also discussed ways that upgrading infrastructure could save money in the long term. For instance, OU could improve its energy efficiency, Wyatt said.
As part of the plan, OU will spend more than $202 million renovating six residence halls on campus, according to the board's agenda. OU will also commit about $153 million to upgrading academic buildings on campus.
The consolidation of the Scripps College of Communication into the Old Baker University Center is among the largest projects in the plan. When it is finished in 2013, the project will house all of OU's communication schools under the same roof.
Fifteen million dollars in gifts and contributions will supplement university funding for the project. Most of these gifts will be spread over five years to allow the donors to gain the full benefits of tax deductions.
Gifts and contributions account for $28.6 million, or about 7 percent, of the plan's total funding, according to the board's agenda.
Ten million dollars will go to upgrading the university's airport. The Federal Aviation Administration will fund $9.5 million of the project through a grant, with OU making up the remaining $500,000.
OU will also use a little more than $185 million to cut its $480 million backlog of major maintenance projects, administrators said during the meeting. OU had deferred these projects in previous years to save money during state funding cuts, Decatur said.
The university will spend $29 million to upgrade regional campuses.
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Frank Thomas
$405.2 million proposed project to center around updating, remodeling facilities
