OU could enlist private partners to fund renovations at the Ridges
Ohio University is exploring using private partnerships to fund the renovation of the Ridges. Although no permanent plans are in place, private partners could potentially choose what aspect of the Ridges renovations they would fund, said Shawna Bolin, director of university planning and space management.
It remains unclear how involved the private partners would be.
“This (project) could take years or decades, and finding the right partner who envisions these facilities how we want them to be will be an ongoing process,” Bolin said.
It’s yet to be determined if OU will pursue one large partner or multiple smaller ones, Bolin said. The university is still wrapping up the Ridges Framework Plan, which determines what should be preserved and how to best utilize the space for the campus and the Athens community as a whole, Bolin said. Until OU knows how it would like to use the space, financial information is too lacking to pursue any solid partnerships.
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Bolin said she believes the appropriate amount of time and care is being put into the project to make the Ridges a useful space.
“It’s to all of our benefits that we have extended this and are looking at things very carefully,” she said.
There is also talk of a potential hotel at the Ridges when the project gets underway, but Bolin said that any possible hotel project would be in collaboration with the Ohio University Inn.
“We’re not looking to compete with ourselves or the OU Inn, but some of the buildings (at the Ridges) are suitable or adaptable for rooms and long-term suites,” she said.
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The Ridges will be a topic of discussion at this month’s Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, among other facility issues like the roof maintenance of several university buildings. Senior Associate Vice President for Information Technologies and Administrative Services Joseph Lalley said that several buildings have been identified to have failing roofs or roofs that are about to fail, and they await approval to proceed with maintenance from the Board.
“We will stop the penetration of water from the roof and also leaks within the buildings that are damaging or otherwise compromising academic space,” Lalley said.
Lalley said this would also include repairing or replacing any damaged insulation, which will improve the energy efficiency of the buildings.
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