Ohio University will likely undertake new construction and renovation projects after the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Comprehensive Master Plan at its board meeting Friday.
When freshmen take their first steps onto the bricks of campus in 10 years, Ohio University could look a lot different.
OU will likely undertake new construction and renovation projects, in addition to other changes to the university, after the Board of Trustees unanimous approval of the Comprehensive Master Plan at its board meeting Friday.
“We have to make sure we can still embrace new needs,” Shawna Bolin, director of University Planning and Space Management, said. “This is a visioning document that is trying to create a vision but also determine what can be achieved.”
The university will undertake a more than $100 million construction project to renovate Clippinger Hall if the project is approved in June. The first phase would cost about $43 million and would expand the building by about 80,000 square feet.
To accomplish the other phases, the university might have to demolish a few small buildings around Clippinger, Bolin said.
Renovations for Seigfred and Ellis halls are also on deck for officials, who plan to seek construction approvals for the projects at the board’s June meeting.
The renovation of Ellis would focus on addressing compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Bolin said Seigfred is in general need of improvements.
Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit said the university does not have gift funding yet for the Seigfred project, and the budgets for the project were not outlined at the board’s meeting.
Though no official decisions have been made, the plan mentions the future of Park Place, and the board also discussed the future of the former presidential residence at 29 Park Place on Friday.
“There’s nobody on the board that wants to do anything but preserve and protect (the house),” Board of Trustees Chair Sandra Anderson said after the meeting.
The plan also proposes the possibility of moving OU’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine out of Grosvenor Hall, a former residence hall, to make more space for on-campus housing. The college likely would relocate to West Union Street.
"It’s a great story, that these empty dorms were repurposed as a medical school — a medical school that has since trained more than 3,000 exceptional physicians,” Kenneth Johnson, executive dean of OU-HCOM, said in an email. “It’s time to thank these buildings for their service, and it’s imperative that we make far-sighted, careful decisions.”
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According to the plan, the university also plans to construct a new ice and aquatic center next to Ping Center.
Overall, officials said they were happy with the development of the plan.
“We’re delighted with the framework,” OU President Roderick McDavis said. “We’re delighted that it was approved.”
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