Inside Iowa State

January 28, 2005

Morrill awaits contractor

by Anne Krapfl

Morrill Hall is ready for a renovation.

Last week, a Des Moines environmental company finished removing asbestos floor tiles and pipe insulation, lead paint and numerous types of mold from the 114-year-old building. The windows were removed because of a window glazing that contained asbestos and lead paint on the frames.

Cold temperatures slowed that work, intended to take about eight weeks, said Kerry Dixon-Fox, the university's project manager for the Morrill renovation. Morrill Hall is not heated right now and abatement crews had to heat their work areas as they progressed through the building.

Last fall, crews also installed new electrical service to Morrill Hall to accommodate construction and the future needs of the building's tenants.

Construction documents, used by contractors to submit bids, should be completed the first week in February, Dixon-Fox said. The bid opening date, originally set for late January, now is scheduled for March 10. Interior demolition could begin soon after.

The renovation will cost $9 mil-lion, $7.4 million of which was raised by the ISU Foundation in private gifts. A state capitals appropriation of $850,000 will pay for general university classrooms in the building, and the remaining $750,000 will come from ISU building repair funds.

When the renovation is completed in late 2006, Morrill Hall will be home to three university programs: a University Museums special collection, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and a new Center for Visual Learning in Textiles and Clothing.

Construction bids on Morrill Hall are due
March 10, and interior demolition of the 114-year-old building could begin shortly after.