Smith Hall to be demolished in near future

Smith Hall may not even make it to the end of the summer. According to Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman, the University was issued a permit by the city late last month that allows for both the demolition of the building and the construction of phase one of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Phase one entails the construction of a $34 million, 86,000-square-foot high-tech building on the Smith Hall site. This site was officially approved by the Air Force last month when it signed a Record of Decision and released the necessary funds. This approval came after more than four years of planning, discussions and controversy. Since the initial plans for the IAST were released, many students and alumni have expressed concern over the idea the historic building will be destroyed in order to make room for the IAST. For now, the University is in the process of preparing Smith Hall for demolition. This involves removing all of the asbestos in the building and hiring a contractor to undertake the project. "There is still a lot of prep work," Vice President for Facilities Management Arthur Gravina said Tuesday. Cooperman said the earliest the building can be demolished is next Wednesday because the demolition notice has to be posted at least 21 days prior to the act. But Gravina said he does not expect the demolition to take place until "sometime this fall or late summer." He added that the University is currently in discussion with seven contractors, and that meetings will begin to be held next week. The University is looking into many different options, since there are various ways to approach tearing down the building. Cooperman said the date of the demolition is contingent upon the contracting how the bidding process goes. "We will see how the bids come in," he said. "Obviously it is a long project and we are intent on getting the best price." Gravina said the University wants to insure that the demolition is done safely. Since Smith Hall is a small building, he does not expect that the job will be done by explosion. This project began in 1991, when the federal government selected the University as the site for the IAST. The project was then turned over to the Department of Defense and subsequently to the Air Force. The project is slated to create space for the Chemistry Department, additional Chemical Engineering laboratories and research space for the Bioengineering Department. Three years ago, the Air Force began an Environmental Impact Study, analyzing the plan's historical and environmental significance, focusing specifically on Smith Hall. In March, the Air Force finally completed the EIS and deemed the site appropriate. And last month's release of the Record of Decision made it official. As of March, the Air Force had already allocated $23.75 million in grant money for the entire project, according to Associate Director for Federal Relations Carl Maugeri. Its total contribution could reach $35 million. Cooperman has estimated that the construction phase of the project will cost between $44 and $50 million, and that the entire project could cost up to $70 million. Phase two of the project will consist of remodeling the Morgan Building and the Music Building and constructing a new wing that will connect the two buildings from the rear. For the third phase, the University will construct an engineering-science library in Hayden Hall. This will be expensive, and may take a long time to construct. The fourth and final phase of the project is the retro-renovating of space in both the engineering and chemical complexes. Because this phase is routine renovation work, its budget can be cut if the costs of the project become too high. Gravina has estimated that the entire project will take two years to complete.

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