The Auburn University Board of Trustees voted to move forward with several construction and renovation projects on campus at its meeting on Friday, including fixing up two Quad residence halls, expanding the University airport and shifting around several campus programs to make room for future student housing.
The meeting, held in the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, was the second to be held in person since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Board unanimously passed a resolution to begin renovations on Harper Hall and Broun Hall in the Quad.
The $13.5 million project will replace mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, update to doors and windows and improve utilities to better provide hot water to the residence halls before the start of the fall 2022 semester. Renovations will also be made to make sure the residence halls meet current requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The renovations will be the first in a series of five phases. Two Quad residence halls will be restored each year until all 10 have been renovated.
Expansions to the Auburn University Regional Airport are now also in the works, as the Board approved the initiation of projects to add space to the existing maintenance hangar and create a new hangar.
The first project will add more maintenance space and administrative offices to the maintenance hangar, which was built in 2018.
The second project will add a new T-hangar, to be located at the airport's north ramp and have 10 aircraft bays which will be leased to commercial and private aircraft owners, serving as a potential source of future revenue.
Both airport projects require final approval at a future meeting before construction can begin.
The Board also approved the initiation of a project to relocate several College of Human Sciences programs, making way for student housing on the Haley Concourse to replace the aging Hill and Cambridge dormitories.
Right now, the location for the proposed residence halls is occupied by the Early Learning Center, Marriage and Family Therapy Center and the Center for Health Ecology and Equity Research.
The Dawson Building, located northwest of Jordan-Hare Stadium, will be renovated and eventually hold the Early Learning Center. The EAGLES program, which is currently in the Dawson Building, will then be relocated to Foy Hall.
Trustees and other University officials were unsure where the other programs would be relocated.
Non-construction related news included the approval of a Master of Science in Forest Business and Investment, which would be the first program of its kind in the state. Provost Bill Hardgrave said he expects 15-20 students to be enrolled in the program annually.
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Evan Mealins, senior in philosophy and economics, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.
