Purdue trustees approve array of construction, improvement projects

September 26, 2014  


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue University Board of Trustees on Friday (Sept. 26) approved moving forward on a new residence facility for the Honors College and construction of a student services and activities complex at the Purdue University North Central campus. Trustees also gave approval to plan, finance and construct a Purdue Airport runway rehabilitation project.

The Physical Facilities Committee on Thursday (Sept. 25) approved improvements to the Wade Utility Plant and McCutcheon Hall restrooms on the West Lafayette campus and infrastructure improvements at Kettler Hall on the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne campus.

The trustees approved the $71 million guaranteed maximum price of construction negotiated with the Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) team of Messer Construction Co./Powers & Sons Construction Co. for the $90 million Honors College and Residences project.

The CMc project delivery method, which went into effect under state law on July 1, provides the flexibility to engage the construction manager during the project’s design phase and allows the university to secure a guaranteed maximum price prior to construction.

"We anticipate that using the CMc project delivery method will save Purdue significant money," said Michael B. Cline, Purdue vice president for physical facilities. "The method's collaborative approach to the construction process maintains operational flexibility while establishing clear responsibility for cost management."

The project, which is slated for completion by the fall of 2016, will be paid for from student facilities system revenue bond proceeds and gift funds.

The trustees approved a construction contract with Ziolkowski Construction Inc. of South Bend, Indiana, to build the student services and activities complex at the North Central campus. Savings of $1.2 million have been realized on this project and will be passed along to students through lower fees. Gifts totaling $3.7 million will help pay for the $33.4 million project, along with $5 million coming from student fee bond proceeds. State-supported bond proceeds will pay for the project’s remaining $24.7 million.

The trustees approved planning, financing and construction of $11.2 million in improvements to the Purdue Airport, including rehabilitating the long runway and an intersection with another runway and replacing runway and taxiway signs with LED signage. The move will allow Purdue to pursue more than $10 million in FAA funding toward this element of the airport’s master plan. Purdue will also seek a $562,250 Indiana Department of Transportation grant that matches departmental funds to be contributed by Purdue. The airport serves both educational and commercial needs.

Bidding will begin in April, but the project will not proceed unless the federal grant is approved by May.

On Thursday (Sept. 25), the Physical Facilities Committee approved planning, financing, constructing and awarding a project to retrofit a dry sorbent injection system to Wade Utility Plant’s Boiler 5. The committee approved a contract with Burns & McDonnell of Chesterfield, Missouri, to plan the $2.5 million project that will bring the boiler into compliance with upcoming EPA Maximum Achievable Control Technology rules. As a circulating fluidized bed boiler, Boiler 5 is able to achieve a lower emission of pollutants, and it could also accommodate the use of alternative fuels. The new injection system, which will further control pollutants, will be installed on Purdue’s only remaining coal-fired boiler. University infrastructure reserve funds will be used to fund the project.

The committee also approved advancing the fourth phase of the University Residences bathroom renovation project using the design-build project delivery method. This phase of the project will renovate community bathrooms on floors 1-8 in McCutcheon Hall’s north tower. InterDesign of Indianapolis has been selected as the design criteria developer for the $4.8 million project that will be funded with Housing and Food Services reserves.

The committee also approved a $2.64 million construction contract with Shambaugh & Son L.P. of Fort Wayne, Indiana, to complete Phase II of HVAC and high-voltage infrastructure replacement in Kettler Hall on the IPFW campus. The $3.3 million project will replace four air handling units and adjacent electrical gear, all existing terminal boxes and perimeter heating, and adds new direct digital controls to the air handlers. The project will be paid for from a state appropriation.

The committee also approved a third option term for two separate $4 million job order contracts with F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. Inc. and F.H. Paschen, S.N. Neilsen & Associates LLC. The contracts are intended for design and repair, alteration, renovation, rehabilitation, construction, and maintenance of facilities under the trustees’ jurisdiction on the West Lafayette campus. Each contract term is to last 12 months or until the trustees order work totaling the $4 million maximum, whichever occurs first.

In other action, trustees on Friday (Sept. 26) approved three contracts in excess of $2 million:

* Renewal of the university’s property insurance for 2014-2015 for a blanket $1 billion with a $250,000 deductible per incident. The $2,075,952 premium with Factory Mutual Insurance Co. of Park Ridge, Illinois, is reduced more than $100,000 from the previous year.

* A contract with PCM/Sarcom not to exceed $5.3 million to convert the West Lafayette and Calumet campuses to voice-over- and video-over-Internet Protocol for all telephone and teleconferencing services. The change is expected to generate $5.4 million in savings over 10 years versus current infrastructure costs.

* A three-year renewal for McAfee security software on all campuses with expanded licenses and services for a total cost not to exceed $2.7 million. Purdue has worked with McAfee technology for the past three years to identify and address threats before security incidents occur. 

Writer: Jim Schenke, 765-494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu 

Sources: Michael B. Cline, vice president for physical facilities, 765-494-8000

James S. Almond, senior vice president for business services and assistant treasurer, jsalmond@purdue.edu

Barbara Frazee, executive director of University Residences, 765-494-1000, bjfrazee@purdue.edu

Betty Stansbury, director of airport operations, 765-743-3442, bmstansbury@purdue.edu

Rhonda Phillips, dean of the Honors College, 765-494-2929

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