Around campus a few maintenance projects were started over the summer, totaling over $2 million worth of repairs out of the maintain and repair fund.
Truman State University Comptroller Mike Garzanelli said the summer maintenance projects all directly impact student life on campus.
He also said the University isn’t doing any new construction at this point, but those projects are needed to keep these facilities updated and available for the students.
Among the construction projects was a new roof on Violette Hall. The new roof was contracted for $747,000, Garzanelli said.
Truman has a couple of chillers that run a cold water loop to certain buildings to keep them cool, Garzanelli said. A chiller was replaced in the Student Union Building and in Violette Hall. This project was contracted for $750,000.
Garzanelli said the air conditioning chilled water project is ongoing right now and will be completed after the cooling season around mid-October.
Tuckpointing repairs, which is repairing any bricks or mortar that have cracked or aged over the years, were done at the Recreation Center, as well as installing a new fire and security system. Garzanelli said the Recreation Center repairs and security system were contracted for $498,000.
The natatorium inside Pershing was furnished with a new pool liner.
“The liner has had several years worth of age on it and we had the opportunity this year to go ahead and replace the liner,” Garzanelli said. “So when the swimmers and students get back in the fall their pool will have a brand new liner to keep it from leaking.”
In the past, the University has had to fix the leaks as they appeared, but now Truman was able to replace the liner and prevent further leaks. Garzanelli said the natatorium relining project was contracted for $118,000.
Additionally, the planetarium will have new software installed for the fall semester. Garzanelli said it is a small, low-cost project.
“All of the aforementioned projects, with the exception of the air conditioning chilled water project, will be completed by the beginning of the fall term,” Garzanelli said. “All significant maintenance and construction projects are competitively bid by the University to ensure high quality work at the most competitive price.”
He also said that there are no cost overruns he is aware of. Everything has been coming in on budget and on time as long as the weather holds.
The amount of maintenance projects this year is very similar to years past, Garzanelli said, when students go home for the summer, the University picks three or four different things around campus to fix, repair or renovate.
Last year, those projects included renovations to the Missouri Hall kitchen and a few air conditioning projects.