Plans for IAST moving forward

Negotiations between the University and the U.S. government to tear down Smith Hall in order to build the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology will probably be finalized this fall, Vice Provost for University Research Barry Cooperman said last week. Although in January, Cooperman predicted that the IAST deal would be completed in June or July, he said it is "not too terrible" that the deal will be signed a few months later than he had anticipated. "We are coming to the end of negotiations," he said. "In general, we're doing reasonably well." The United States Air Force first announced that the historic building was to be the site for the IAST in 1991. Plans to demolish Smith Hall in order to construct the building have been delayed since then for various reasons -- including a government-mandated environmental impact study and a historical impact study. But after years of waiting, it looks as if the deal is about to close. The environmental impact study, already completed by the Air Force, found that the IAST would not create any major environmental damage. And Air Force spokesperson Jane Knowleton said last week that the historical impact study -- conducted by both the Pennsylvania State Historical Preservation Office and the National Advisory Council on Historic Preservation -- is in its "final stages." Cooperman said he is confident that the University will receive the go-ahead to tear down Smith Hall -- even though a final report from the state and the federal government will not be submitted until the end of August. "We can now proceed with the demolition," he said. "The big issue has been solved." Still, Provost Stanley Chodorow said the IAST deal "isn't quite complete." "There are still some formalities to go through," he said. "The door is open for someone to make claims or protest [the demolition]." According to previously released plans, the IAST upon completion will house laboratories for the University's chemistry, bioengineering and chemical engineering departments. Construction on the IAST will be divided into three stages. The first phase will involve the destruction of Smith Hall and the construction of the IAST. Chodorow said this process will take about five years. In the second phase, the Morgan Building and Music Building, also located in the historical district of Smith Walk, will be renovated and connected by an annex. Finally, depending on government funding, Hayden Hall may also be renovated, Cooperman said earlier this year. However, Knowleton said the government will pay "no more than the 50 percent of the total cost of the IAST project." "This does not mean the federal government must pay 50 percent of the cost," she said. "Any additional funds for the IAST project would have to be appropriated by Congress." At the moment, government contribution is projected to be about $35 million. The University will pay the rest of the project's fees, which are estimated to be between $35 million and $40 million, Knowleton said.