UW to get new Police Dept facility & Library expansion
by University of Wyoming
July 18, 2007
(Laramie) - The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees today (Wednesday, July 18) approved the selection of an architect for a new UW Police Department facility and also approved a budget and guaranteed maximum price for construction of a major addition and expansion of William Robertson Coe Library.
The trustees approved Plan One Architects of Rock Springs for the design work and renovation of the former UniWyo Federal Credit Union Building at 15th and Flint streets to accommodate the UW Police Department (UWPD). The Wyoming State Legislature has provided $2.1 million for the UWPD facility. That funding is part of a larger appropriation to construct a new information technology facility.
Vice President for Administration, Phill Harris, noted that Plan One Architects has extensive experience with law enforcement facilities, including in Cody and Sweetwater County, and that it also has teamed with another firm with significant expertise in law enforcement communication centers and security systems. He said such experience augments well with the university's long-term safety initiative to explore installing a technology backbone that will allow for the centralized control of building entrances on campus. The UWPD facility will eventually include a control center for a system that would give UW the ability to lock down doors to campus buildings, providing enhanced safety options during emergencies.
Trustees also approved a $50.3 million budget for the Coe Library renovation and expansion, known as the Information, Library and Learning Center (IL2C), including a guaranteed maximum price for construction of the project set at $38,075,000.
The state legislature in 2005 appropriated $45 million for the project and in 2007 approved an additional $4.3 million for a total budget of $49.3 million. UW plans to use $1 million of its state major maintenance funds for roofing and for elevator upgrades, Harris said.
The IL2C will greatly expand learning opportunities for students beyond the scope of traditional libraries by integrating new technologies and learning methods with greater space for collections of books, microforms, and reference materials.
The library project will involve demolition of the existing anthropology building along Ivinson Street between 13th and 14th streets. Prior to the start of construction this fall, the anthropology department will move into the Anthropological and Archaeological Research Facility now being completed on Lewis Street.
Related Links:
University of Wyoming, www.uwyo.edu
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