Committee talks projects, facilities

Campus facilities and renovations were discussed recently by Temple trustees.

A recent Board of Trustees’ Facilities Committee meeting highlighted projects in the works by the university, touching upon community relations and campus beautification.

Under Temple’s current utility facilities, committee members said renovations could save the university as much as $150,000 per year upon completion.

At the committee’s Thursday, Sept. 15 meeting in Sullivan Hall, one of the most significant plans for utilities discussed was a new point-of-delivery facility for electricity at 1801 N. 16th St.

The budget for the new building will not exceed $5 million. The board consulted PECO for help designing the new building.

At the meeting, President Ann Weaver Hart stressed the importance of consulting the community relations team before building in the off-campus neighborhood.

Hillel Hoffmann, assistant director of university communications, said the new point-of-delivery facility is part of the 20/20 plan.

“There was [a] point-of-delivery facility, that was out of date and inadequate for the projected needs of Temple in the future, and so there was a two part project to make sure Temple has adequate point of delivery facilities to receive power from PECO,” Hoffmann said.

The committee also approved a new alarm center for Campus Safety Services, the Campus Safety Simplex Reporting Replacement Project.

This system will help control more than 55,000 fire alarm points around Main Campus.

“I want to stress the word ‘reporting.’ It’s not the fire alarm system. It’s the system that reports where the fire alarm is taking place,” Hoffmann said. “It’s a new digital system to replace something that was installed 20 years ago.”

Talking about new businesses that may fill the new parking lot’s lower level, Hart encouraged keeping the edges of campus as visually pleasing.

Pearson and McGonigle halls are expected to open facilities to the Division I athletic teams on Nov. 15, and to  the student body in early March.

Lily Fronden can be reached at lily.fronden@temple.edu.