All of the repair projects are part of a three-year, $126 million capital financing plan approved by the full board at its Oct. 17 meeting.

The Visitor Center, currently housed in the lobby of the Carolina Plaza, will plan to move in late spring to the first floor of McKissick. About $250,000 will be used to renovate the elevator and improve handicapped access to the building. Some museum exhibit space will likely remain on the first floor; the second floor will remain as museum space. The small parking lot beside Osborne Administration Building and McKissick Museum will be designated for the Visitor Center.

“We might consolidate the museum staff space on the third floor or consider moving them to another space on campus,” said Rick Kelly, vice president and chief financial officer.

In a project unrelated to the Visitor Center relocation, deteriorating windows in McKissick Museum will be replaced at a cost of $575,000. Other projects include:
• cleaning and caulking of exterior façade of the Law Center and Gambrell Hall
• roof replacements on Harper, Elliott, Pinckney, LeGare, Capstone cafeteria, Taylor House (former Columbia Museum of Art), Booker T. Washington Auditorium, Bates cafeteria, DeSaussure, Rutledge, and the Russell House.

Interior renovations will be made to the Humanities Office and Classroom buildings as well as Gambrell Hall, which also will have an elevator upgrade.

Committee members initially approved $1.3 million renovation of 1816 Henderson St., a vacant University-owned 9,300-square-foot house. The committee later asked that alternative plans to spend half as much money or to move the structure be further explored.

The committee also OK’d energy system upgrades, including replacement of underground electrical cables and repair of leaking steam lines.

At the Russell House, about $1.2 million was approved for continued improvements, including façade and ramp repairs and window replacement. Later plans call for improvements to the front entrance and elevator upgrades.

Funds from Sodexho, the campus food services vendor, will be used to cover improvements next year to several dining facilities, including the Sidewalk Café and the Preston dining area. USC will spend about $750,000 as its share of the overall project.

Proposals from several energy management firms are expected Nov. 20. The University will ask two firms to perform investment-grade energy audits of the Columbia campus to identify ways to improve the energy system and save utility costs. The University also will select an architect and project manager for a new parking garage that will be located in front of the Bull Street Garage.

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