Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Some of the oldest buildings on campus are in need of repair and maintenance, and, according to Jim Modig, director of design and construction management, help is now on the way.
In June 2009, the Board of Regents requested two-thirds of the federal stimulus money the University received to go to the Deferred Maintenance Program. The program, which has a backlog of $200 million for projects in need of repair, usually relies on state dollars the Kansas legislature approves and University interest funds. Despite the annual funding the program receives, the backlog continues to increase. The federal stimulus money will help to lessen the deficit.
Modig said Dyche Hall would receive some of the biggest repairs — the south part of the building is more than a century old. Other than simple yearly maintenance projects such as replacing air filters, Modig said the building hadn’t received special attention in more than nine years, when some classrooms were crumbling. The building, which holds the Natural History Museum and lab space for graduate students to conduct their research, is estimated to need about $1.15 million in repairs. Most of the repairs will be electrical and mechanical improvements.
Jordan Yochim, associate director of the Biodiversity Institute, said he knew the extent of the repairs needed.
“It’s great. We’re in a part of the building that’s 100 years old and the other that’s four years old,” Yochim said. “We’re in dire need of repairs.”
Yochim said one of the main problems has been the heating, venting and air conditioning system because of the older technology used in 1901 to 1903 when the building was under construction.
“The fluctuations in temperature and humidity can harm the biological systems in this building,” Yochim said. “The more stable, the better.”
Lori Schlenker, assistant to the director of the Biodiversity Institute, said she was happy about the repairs.
“We’re thrilled about any such upgrades to make people more comfortable and more importantly take care of the research collections,” Schlenker said.
Yochim said there were more than 8 million research specimens being studied in Dyche Hall.
Rafe Brown, curator of herpetology, and his six full-time graduate students construct long computational sequences trying to estimate the evolutionary history of amphibian DNA. All it takes is one minor glitch, which tends to happen in severe weather, to ruin hours of research.
“Some of these runs go on for weeks and just a millisecond of a glitch could stop the whole process and we have to start from scratch,” Jeet Sukumaran, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, graduate student, said.
Some of the other buildings that will receive attention are Wescoe Hall, which needs mechanical system and fire code improvements, and Haworth and Malott halls, which will receive mechanical and fume hood improvements.
For the last three years, $13.1 million has been used for tunnel repairs to hold the campus’ foundation intact. Annually, the Deferred Maintenance Program receives $4 million from the Regents and an estimated range of $6 million from the state. The University interest funds differ from year to year depending on the market, but the deficit for repairs still grows each year.
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