Group works together for space allocation

Planning to move more than 100 faculty, staff and graduate assistants to six different locations in a departure from what was supposed to occur is not an easy task. Fortunately, Facilities Planning’s Edward Ramos, College of Arts and Sciences’ (CAS) Ann Beck and College of Applied Science and Technology’s (CAST) Alan Lacy proved up to the task.

As part of the Stevenson-Turner Hall Life Safety project, faculty and staff inhabiting Williams Hall temporary quarters were supposed to return to their Stevenson Hall permanent spaces, and Turner Hall’s College Dean’s Office, Technology and Family and Consumer Sciences department’s faculty and staff were to move into their Williams Hall temporary quarters. With the addition of the Infrastructure Enhancement Project, the Stevenson Hall individuals were required to remain in Williams Hall, causing the laborious process of finding space for the Turner Hall individuals.

Ramos initiated the planning for the project by determining the actual number of individuals needing to be move and visiting campus buildings to identify potential locations. “Our assessment included reviewing the number and physical condition of vacant offices,” Ramos said. “Facilities Planning staff met with CAST and CAS staff to optimize the number of private offices available to tenure-track faculty in both colleges.”

Those meetings resulted in identifying four locations for Turner Hall moves, two houses at 305 N. School and 302 Normal Avenue, the Bowling and Billiards Activity Room and leased modular facilities. Ramos said it become apparent that a large number of faculty could not be accommodated in the vacant spaces of the campus proper so the modular facilities was the only option available.

“Alan Lacy and I then met with Chuck McGuire of the Provost Office and Dick Runner of Facilities Planning to determine which blocks of rooms would be used by CAS and CAST,” Beck said. “This collaborative approach worked quite well and, within an hour’s time, we were able to determine what blocks of space would best facilitate CAS and CAST’s programmatic needs during this time of disruption.”

Both Lacy and Beck communicated with college departments’ chairs, faculty and move coordinators, who will assign specific offices for individuals. Lacy, who will coordinate all facets of the move for Turner Hall with Facilities Planning, said move coordinators and chairs are communicating with their staff about developments as they occur.

“Soon the Turner Life Safety project will begin,” said CAST Dean Jeff Wood. “This phase of the project will result in significant disruption to many members of the college. The life safety systems in Turner Hall have served generations of students, faculty and staff very well but have become obsolete over the years. I encourage patience among all Turner Hall occupants and users as old systems give way to improvements which will create optimal teaching and learning environments.”

CAS Dean James Payne said “I thank all faculty, staff and students who have worked so hard to ensure that the programmatic needs of the departments in Stevenson Hall have been met during this time of disruption. While we will continue to face some challenges until the construction is completed, the end result will be a safer, more pleasant place to work and study.”

“Given the herculean task of staging and executing an unscheduled move in less that five months, this was a more challenging effort than most,” Ramos said.