$12.5 Million Renovation to Litchfield Towers' Food-Service Area Highlights Pitt Trustees' Property and Facilities Committee Meeting

PITTSBURGH—The Property and Facilities Committee of the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees today approved more than $18 million in renovation projects at the Pittsburgh campus, $1.6 million for a new lecture hall at the Pitt-Greensburg campus, and several long-term leases. The construction and renovation projects are expected to create 109 construction and 43 construction-support jobs, and on two of the leases, the University will pay approximately $64,200 in real estate taxes.

The highlight of the Pittsburgh improvements is a $12.5 million renovation to the Litchfield Towers food-service area. The three Litchfield Towers comprise the largest residential complex on the Pitt campus, with 1,860 men and women residents.

The renovations to the 44,000 square-foot space will include six new dining options for students: a diner, a delicatessen, a pizzeria, the 360 Grill, and vegetarian and European cuisine. In addition, the area will include a new takeout facility, a convenience store, and a Taco Bell. The entire dining room and seating areas will be renovated. A new elevator will provide service from the main Litchfield Towers Lobby, and a grand central staircase will open the lobby to the Food Service area. Kitchen renovations will include a new dish room and prep areas.

The trustees also approved construction of the Mary Lou Campana Lecture Hall, a

$1.6 million facility for the Greensburg campus that will include a 172-seat theater and chapel. The theater will feature a sloped floor and elevated stage with theatrical lighting and sound systems, lobby, and dressing room. The facility will be named for Ms. Campana by a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor.

The committee also approved Step One of a $2,225,580 project to renovate more than 10,000 square feet of office space in Thomas Detre Hall, which will house the Center for Overcoming Problem Eating, and Step One of a $4 million project to improve the biocontainment barrier at the South Biomedical Science Tower.

In addition, the trustees approved two leases between the University and UPMC Health System.

• The first is for approximately 19,000 square feet of clinical and office space for the University's Student Health Service in the Medical Arts Building, 3708 Fifth Ave. The lease runs through June 30, 2011, at an annual rent of $541,044. Student Health Services has occupied the space since 2000.

• The second is for 37,101 square feet of research, clinical, and office space for the School of Medicine's Departments of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology, in the Eye and Ear Institute Building, 203 Lothrop St. The lease runs through June 30, 2011, at an annual rent of $1,156,135. The departments have occupied that space since 1995.

The trustees also approved two additional leases.

• The Graduate School of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology's lease for 16,209 square feet of space in the Bellefield Professional Building, 130 North Bellefield Ave., Oakland, was extended through June 30, 2011. The space houses multiple research programs, including clinical and nutrition research, ultrasound research, the Health Studies Office, the Center for Healthy Aging, and the Center for Aging and Population Health. The University's lease is with NDC Real Estate Management, Inc., agent for Webster Office Associates, a Pennsylvania Limited Partnership. The University also will pay a pro-rata share of real estate taxes, estimated at $40,000 annually.

• The Department of Radiology in the School of Medicine will consolidate offices and laboratories in 5,679 square feet of space in the Parkvale Annex Building, 3520 Forbes Ave., Oakland. The lease between the University and Cityview Properties, LLC, is from February 2007 through January 2012, at a fixed annual cost of $134,876.25, plus the University's pro-rata share of real estate taxes, estimated at $14,200 annually. The landlord also has provided an improvement allowance equal to one-year's rent. The lease includes a five-year option through Jan. 31, 2017.

###

11/15/06/scl