By 1812Blockhouse
If the State of Ohio’s $2.1 billion capital improvements bill for FY 2021-22 is passed, which began hearings this week after being introduced as an amendment during a Senate Bill 310 conference committee meeting, it will bring much-needed funding for physical improvements to The Ohio State University at Mansfield and North Central State College.
Usually passed in the spring, this year’s budget bill was delayed until the fall. The largest ticket item in this year’s bill is $16 million for a new soccer stadium for FC Cincinnati.
The outlay for projects at the campuses on Lexington-Springmill Road totals over $3.4 million.
Projects slated for funding at OSUM include the following:
Boiler Replacement – $500,000 – These funds will be used to replace the natural gas boilers and circulating pumps in the 19,120 gross square foot Campus Recreation Center and the 34,096 gross square foot Eisenhower Hall.
Recreation Center Life Safety – $375,000 – These funds will be used to replace the original fire and smoke detection and alarm system and the bleachers in the Campus Recreation Center (CRC), which was built in in 1977. In partnership with co-located North Central State College, the CRC is a multi-use shared facility that provides collaborative programming for over 5,000 students and 350 faculty.
HVAC and Emergency Generators – $275,000 – These funds will be used to modify building panels and update the operating system on the campus-wide HVAC control system and to purchase and install a new emergency generator at the Schuttera maintenance service center.
Building Entries Renewal and Renovation – $250,000 – These funds will be used to replace main entrance vestibule doorways, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – compliant hardware, and storefronts on Eisenhower Hall, Conard Hall, and the Campus Recreation Center. OSU reports that the entrances are no longer weather tight or serviceable.
Exterior Signs and Walk Renovation – $300,000 – These funds will be used to replace all antiquated exterior building, directional, and wayfinding signage with a unified and easy to use campus-wide system. The project also includes replacing deteriorated concrete sidewalks that are situated along primary access corridors.
At North Central State College:
Fallerius Chillers and Boiler and Byron Kee Boilers Replacement – $500,000 – These funds will be used to replace two original chillers in the Fallerius Center and boilers in Fallerius and the Byron Kee Center with more efficient units. The two chillers in Fallerius are original to the building and have reached their end-of-life. Similarly, the boilers in both buildings are dilapidated and inefficient. Specifically, the boilers in the Kee Center have reached the end-of-life for maintenance service, do not provide adequate heat to all areas of the building, and have lower than acceptable effectiveness.
IT and Emergency Power Generators – $663,293 – These funds will be used to purchase and install generators in campus buildings to serve key components of the grid and to ensure operation during emergencies. This includes the installation of Uninterrupted Power Sources (UPS) so that phone and IT server equipment can operate during emergencies. For security and business continuity, storage area networks with high disk space will be purchased to replicate all data between main campus and satellite ones. Management software will also be installed to provide wireless coverage for multiple devices, as will access points in classrooms for faster collaborative learning and teaching environments.
Campus Wide Buildings-Front Doors and Windows – $565,000 – These funds will be used to replace original doors and windows on several buildings across campus. Specifically, old and energy inefficient doors and storefronts will be replaced at Byron Kee Center, the Child Development Center, and the Fallerius Center. Approximately 70 mid-1990s installed windows in the Health Sciences building will also be replaced with new, energy-efficient ones.
