The official minutes of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees are maintained by the Secretary of the Board. Certified copies of minutes may be requested by contacting the Board of Trustees’ Office. Electronic or other copies of original minutes are not official Board of Trustees' documents.
The Buildings and Grounds Committee of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees met on Friday, August 9, 2002, at 2:05 p.m. in the Board Room of the Carolina Plaza.
Members present were: Mr. Miles Loadholt, Chairman; Mr. James Bradley; Mr. Alexander English (via phone); Dr. C. Edward Floyd; Mr. William C. Hubbard; Mr. Toney J. Lister; Mr. Herbert C. Adams, Board Vice Chairman; and Mr. Mack I. Whittle, Jr., Board Chairman. Trustee Mrs. Helen C. Harvey was absent. Other Trustees present were: Mr. Samuel R. Foster, II; Mr. John S. Long; Mr. Robert N. McLellan; Mr. Michael J. Mungo; Mr. James A. Shuford, III; Mr. M. Wayne Staton; and Mr. John C. von Lehe, Jr.
Others present were: President Andrew A. Sorensen; Secretary Thomas L. Stepp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jerome D. Odom; Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Gordon D. Smith; Vice President for Student and Alumni Services Dennis A. Pruitt; Vice President for Human Resources Jane M. Jameson; Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer William F. Hogue; Vice President for Business and Finance Richard W. Kelly; General Counsel Walter (Terry) H. Parham; Chancellor of USC Aiken Thomas L. Hallman; Chancellor of USC Spartanburg John C. Stockwell; Dean of USC Beaufort Jane T. Upshaw; Dean of USC Lancaster John Catalano; Dean of the Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health and Interim Vice President for Research Harris Pastides; Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, USC Union, Anita K. Bowles; Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor for the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Cheryl Addy; Vice Provost and Executive Dean for Regional Campuses and Continuing Education Chris P. Plyler; Director of Facilities Planning and Construction and University Architect Charles G. Jeffcoat; Director for Planning Services, Facilities Planning and Construction, Donna Collins; Project Manager for Construction Services Delisa C. Scruggs; University Legislative Liaison John D. Gregory; Assistant to the Vice President for Business and Finance Ken Corbett; Director of Periodicals, University Publications, Chris Horn; Director of Public Affairs Russell McKinney; Faculty Senate Representative Professor Robert Wilcox; Mr. William E. Foust, II of the FWA Group; Mr. Dilip Patel of the Board of Visitors; and Student Representative Mr. Ankit Patel.
Chairman Loadholt welcomed everyone and invited Board members and others in attendance to introduce themselves. Mr. McKinney introduced a member of the media who was in attendance.
Chairman Loadholt stated that the agenda had been posted and the press had been notified as required by the Freedom of Information Act; the agenda and supporting materials had been circulated to Committee members; and a quorum was present to conduct business.
Chairman Loadholt called upon Secretary Stepp who informed the Committee of the Governor's appointment of the Honorable John S. Long as a member of the Board of Trustees. Mr. Long would serve on the Board until the General Assembly elected someone to complete the term which was held by the late DuPre Miller. Everyone welcomed Mr. Long to the Board.
Mr. Jeffcoat displayed several architectural renderings depicting the construction progress of the center's interior which included a swimming pool, a four-court gymnasium, and a running track.
Mr. Jeffcoat advised the Committee that the completion date for the Carolina Center Arena had been extended from October 31, 2002 to November 11, 2002 via a change order. The facility had approximately 330,000 gross square feet and had 18,000 seats for basketball spectators. The seating would vary depending on the set up. The exterior finish work had progressed well and installation of landscaping features such as paving and walkways had been performed. The concourse had been framed on the interior of the building and elevators and an escalator had been installed. A mock-up suite detailing all of the furnishings and finishes would be made available. A concert featuring singer Bruce Springsteen had been scheduled for December 9, 2002.
Mr. Jeffcoat stated that the initial four houses constructed in the Greek Village had been nearly completed. The houses would be occupied beginning with the fall semester. New streets and parking had been added around the complex. Two additional houses had been approved by the University's Architectural Design Review Committee (ADRC) and nine additional houses had been expected to be reviewed by the ADRC with an expected completion date by the fall of 2004.
Dr. Floyd inquired about the availability of nearby space for housing which could be acquired by the University. Mr. Jeffcoat replied that no adjacent space had been available to the existing Greek Village site. The Foundation had purchased property on the other side of the railroad track consisting of four acres which may be desirable for additional houses. Mr. Jeffcoat displayed architectural renderings of each of the houses in the Greek Village complex.
Mr. Whittle noted that the number of residents had been approximately 40 for each of the Greek houses. The complex had been equivalent to one of the recently constructed dormitories costing roughly $17 million. Mr. Whittle felt it had been important to note the cost to the University of bringing the students back to the campus versus the cost of building a dormitory. The University had gained 400 additional students on campus for a fraction of the cost of building a dormitory to obtain the same result.
Mr. Jeffcoat explained that the individual organizations had paid to build each of the houses at a cost of slightly over $1 million per house. The total cost of building the fifteen houses had been between $17 and $20 million. The total cost for the infrastructure and the utilities to accommodate the houses had been approximately $8 million which had been considerably less than the cost of building a dormitory of comparable size. Mr. Jeffcoat displayed renderings of the interior design for several of the houses.
Mr. Jeffcoat stated that work on Summer Projects had occurred across the Columbia and Spartanburg campuses. Various projects requiring completion prior to the opening of the fall semester had been under construction since mid-May.
The projects at Capstone, the Humanities Classroom building, McBryde, Sumwalt, and the Spartanburg Administration building had included re-roofing, re-wiring, painting, interior finish work, and the installation of additional fire safety systems. The projects represented approximately $6 million of construction and had been completed in less than four months.
Mr. Jeffcoat updated the Committee on the new School of Law facility. The current design consisted of 220,000 gross square feet. The design had been based on a population of 700 students; however, the facility could accommodate a slightly larger population. The Architectural Design Review Committee had provided conceptual approval of the project on July 15, 2002. The architects had been directed to create perspective drawings for fund-raising purposes. Updates on the project would be provided as work progressed. The project budget forecast had been $60 million. A savings of approximately $5 million could be realized by omitting the auditorium; however, the price of adding the auditorium at a later date would cost roughly $8 million. A capital campaign to raise private funds would begin in September.
Mr. Whittle stated that Mr. Mark Buyck had reservations about the design of the Law School which included the scale of the building and the street to which the facility would face. Chairman Loadholt remarked that Mr. Buyck's concerns had been addressed.
Mr. Adams inquired about the square footage of the existing Law School facility. Mr. Jeffcoat replied that the facility had less than 200,000 square feet; the new building would not be much larger than the existing facility.
Mr. Jeffcoat displayed architectural renderings and various street elevations of the new School of Law building which had been developed by the Smith Group of Washington, D. C. in association with the Boudreaux Group of Columbia. Several buildings on the site were on the historic register. Meetings had been conducted with the University and historic preservation groups representing the city and the state. An agreement had been reached pertaining to the preservation of the historic structures on the site, in their present locations, which would allow the proposed Law School building to be constructed. A long-term lease with the Workshop Theatre of South Carolina would be examined because the space occupied by the Theatre would be required for the proposed building.
Mr. Whittle inquired about the exterior of the new Law School building. Mr. Jeffcoat remarked that red brick had been the preference, but no final decision had been made.
Mr. Lister inquired about a plan for the demolition of buildings located on McBryde quadrangle. Mr. Jeffcoat replied that the master plan of 1994 had indicated that McBryde quadrangle would eventually be eliminated. A serious need for the land at the present time had not existed. In addition, the tower dormitories, nicknamed the honeycombs because of their unique concrete facades, would also be demolished; the financial implications of that action would be carefully examined.
Discussion ensued among Committee members concerning housing demands and revisiting the objectives of the Master Plan. Mr. Jeffcoat stated the Master Plan had been reviewed in 1998 and noted that another review would be warranted.
The project had been approved with a budget of $9.47 million funded with $2.7 million in Capital Improvement Bonds, $4.77 million in private funds, and $2.0 million in State Institution Bonds.
Private funding had been received which eliminated the need to use Institution Bonds. The community had raised $8.85 million. The funds had been set aside for a maintenance endowment and additional funds had been spent beyond the capital project for furnishings and equipment. The total project had been $10.9 million with $8.85 million in private funding. Mr. Jeffcoat noted that the fund-raising campaign at Lancaster had been very successful.
The project budget had remained at $9.47 million and would be funded with $2.7 million in Capital Improvement Bonds, $6,626,363 in private funds, and $143,637 in USC Lancaster Institutional Capital Project Funds (ICPF).
Chairman Loadholt stated that this report was received for information.
Mr. Jeffcoat noted that the immediate needs of the school had required the renovation of 133,000 gross square feet in the Carolina Plaza to accommodate faculty offices and meeting space. Phase I had also required the construction of 88,000 gross square feet of laboratory and classroom space adjacent to the Carolina Plaza on the corner of Assembly and College streets. Mr. Jeffcoat provided a time-line which outlined a tentative project schedule; occupancy had been anticipated for the 2005 fall semester. The budget forecast for Phase I had been $26.5 million. The School of Public Health currently had $17.3 million available via various sources. In order for construction to progress, the remaining $9.1 million would be raised or obtained through a line of credit from the Development Foundation. Dr. Pastides felt confident that additional grants and private funds could be raised and the line of credit would not be required.
The School of Public Health had requested an additional $3 million for Phase II which had been required for the construction of laboratory space for the relocation of the Speech and Hearing Clinic presently located off campus. Phase II had been contingent upon the receipt of grant or private funding to fund fully the additional project costs. Furthermore, advance approval of Phase II by the Committee would prevent a delay in the implementation of construction work if the additional funding materialized during the course of the construction of Phase I.
Mr. Lister inquired about parking for the facility. Mr. Jeffcoat responded that a parking plan existed and involved the entire campus.
Mr. Mungo recommended that space should be allowed in front of buildings which would prohibit mobile access to them. The installation of security devices could be added to secure the buildings. Mr. Jeffcoat stated that the University had become more security conscious; card access and video cameras had been installed at some locations.
Dr. Floyd inquired about why the School of Public Health could not be located near the medical school where land had been available. Dr. Pastides responded that several locations had been considered; the master planners of the University had determined the Plaza location as the preferred site.
Mr. Hubbard moved approval for the design and construction of Phase I of the proposed new facility for The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health; to increase the existing project budget by $16,500,000 for a total project budget of $26.5 million for Phase I; and to approve an additional $3,000,000 for the design and construction of Phase II of the project, contingent upon receipt of the full $3 million from grant or private funds as described. Mr. Bradley seconded the motion. The vote was taken, and the motion carried.
There were no other matters to come before the Committee, and Chairman Loadholt declared the meeting adjourned at 2:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Thomas L. Stepp
Secretary