By SUSAN JONES
The Board of Trustees Property and Facilities committee approved three projects for the Oakland campus on Sept. 18, totaling around $100 million, and the sale of the University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center, along Route 28 in Harmar Township.
Some of the funding for these projects comes from the $389.9 million capital budget approved by the full board in July. The state also has committed capital funds to Pitt prior to this fiscal year that will be used for Chevron and Crawford halls. There is no approval yet for new capital dollars from the state for fiscal year 2023-24, which if obtained would go to future projects. Pitt’s general funding from the state also is still in limbo (see related story).
Crawford Hall
A full renovation of Crawford Hall is part of the continuing work on Pitt’s life sciences complex, which includes Clapp and Langley halls and the Life Sciences Annex.
Crawford Hall was built in 1969 and houses the Departments of Biological Sciences and Neurological Science. The $75 million project is intended to provide a state-of-the-art, flexible and energy efficient research laboratory building to meet current and future research and teaching needs.
The work will include a small expansion on the building’s south elevation to accommodate building infrastructure upgrades, along with replacement of all of the building's mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection and telecommunication systems, and upgrades to elevators. Exterior renovations will include facade repairs, replacement of the doors, windows and the roof, and installation of a new ramp to improve access to the first floor classrooms.
Work is expected to begin in December and run through the end of 2025. The project will be completed in two phases, with several labs and classrooms remaining in use throughout the renovation.
Chevron Science Center
The Chevron Science Center, which was built in 1974, has undergone phased floor-by-floor renovations to support modern collaborative teaching and research needs for the Department of Chemistry. The 11th and 12th floors are the last that need to be renovated.
The work will configure the floors to create open ballroom-style biological chemistry labs to meet current and future requirements. Also planned are replacement of the existing mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems; programmatic renovations to support modern research requirements; and installation of new flexible lab casework and equipment.
The committee approved the project for $17 million. Work is expected to start in November on 11th floor, which should be finished by fall 2024, when work will start on the 12th floor. The full project should be done by summer 2025.
Alumni Hall
The seventh and eighth floor auditorium in Alumni Hall is “the first stop for prospective student and family tours guided by the Pathfinders,” according to the resolution for funding a renovation of the space.
The 600-seat auditorium and adjoining lobby were originally designed for theatrical performances with a large stage and back-stage service area, but are now used primarily for special events, lectures and recruiting events for the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.
Upgrades will include new seating, flooring, paint, lighting, acoustical treatments, new video and audio components and stage access improvements. A backstage area will be reconfigured to provide a new suite for the 200 student Pathfinders, including lockers, an open team area, a small break space and secure storage for promotional materials and headsets.
The project was approved for just over $8 million. Work is expected to start in November and run until fall 2024.
The seventh floor lobby will be refreshed with new lighting, paint and ceiling finishes if funds allow.
UPARC
The University of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (UPARC) is on property originally developed by Gulf Oil in 1935 and includes more than 50 buildings situated on approximately 87 acres. The property was transferred to Chevron Corp. in 1985 and donated that same year to the University, which has used it as a center for business and research tenants.
The property has experienced declining occupancy over the years and requires significant capital investment, contributing to sustained annual operating losses, according to the resolution, and is no longer a strategic asset for the University.
The committee approved sale of the property in two parcels to A&W LLC and A&W #2 LLC in the amount of $5 million pending finalization of a purchase and sales agreement.
Committee member John Pelusi, a commercial real estate executive, voted against the sale without a provision that the University “attempt to get from the buyer a detailed financial plan to do the Act 2 remediation and any other environmental work there.” He said having “an indemnity from an SPE (single purpose entity) is completely meaningless because all you’re going to have is what they own, which is what you currently own.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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