The University Board of Visitors' building and grounds committee approved on Thursday the construction of the Medical Center's General Clinical Research Center Core Laboratory beginning this summer at the corner of 11th and West Main streets. The Board also approved plant improvements for the University's main heating facilities.
Construction of the laboratory will require the demolition of a Papa John's pizzeria located at the site of the future building, University Architect David Neuman said.
According to Neuman, the laboratory will be situated next to a historic University building erected in 1907 currently under a lease agreement to SunTrust Bank.
The laboratory will have design elements that will compliment the adjacent older building, modeled after the Pavilion buildings on the Lawn, Neuman said.
"We want to be very sympathetic to the old building," Neuman said.
With the approval of the Board, design planning will proceed through the spring with construction expected to begin this summer. The Papa John's lease agreement will continue for the next six months, Neuman said.
Papa John's Assistant Manager Dave Montieth said the University notified management of the construction plans.
"They posted a demolition notice on the front of our building," Montieth said. "I believe we have something around a year left in our lease but they are trying to accelerate that."
Montieth said he expects the University to begin building in parking lots and areas surrounding Papa John's early this summer.
"I think right now the tentative plan is to be in another place by the end of the summer, but in the meantime they are building around us," he said.
According to Neuman, the project is a high priority because of insufficient space for laboratory functions at its current location on the second floor of the University Hospital.
"This is the fastest track project we have," Neuman said. "We need to move this project along quickly."
The laboratory is responsible for performing tests on human samples and will require approximately 12,000 square feet of space, according to a committee report.
The Board also approved a proposal to revamp the University's main heating facilities on Jefferson Park and University Avenues. The improvements are designed to ensure that the plant complies with all state regulations and meets the heating needs of new and existing University facilities, said Collette Sheehy, University vice president for management and budget.
The selected construction firm, RMF Engineering, Inc., officially will be awarded a contract to proceed with planning and construction in 2005.
The Board discussed enhancing security measures at the heating plant.
"I don't know what the [security] issues are -- I just think it should be something we talk about," said Mark Kington, the Board's building and grounds committee chair.
The Board approved a budget of $4 million for the laboratory construction project. Heating plant improvements are expected to cost approximately $51.8 million, according to the committee report.
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