Architects recommend winterizing campus and shutting two buildings; staff to test alarms and prepare inventories

Venture Architects and engineering partner Ring & Du Chateau advised the Richland County Campus Reconfiguration Committee to take two campus buildings out of regular use this winter while maintaining minimal conditioned systems in others.

The committee heard that Building B (the Arts & Education building) shows extensive deferred maintenance — moisture under the slab, delaminated floor tile, deteriorating doors and windows — and would need substantial accessibility and mechanical upgrades to meet modern standards. "That building would need a significant amount of enhancements on the accessibility side," said Kyle Canope, project manager with Venture Architects, summarizing the firm’s assessment and placing Building B at the top of the list for shutdown.

Consultants and county staff said the Science Building (Building A) contains specialized laboratory infrastructure that would be costly to repurpose, so it should remain at a conditioned level to protect IT and sensitive equipment. County maintenance staff reported they have set most unused buildings to about 50 degrees and will keep Melville Hall and the Science Building at higher minimums because of occupants and IT systems; a maintenance staff member said, "I set all the buildings at 50 right now except for Melville."

The committee directed staff to arrange an alarm-panel test to verify where fire alarms report, and to coordinate with city and county public-safety contacts if panels are still tied to a removed university head-end system. County staff also recommended shutting water at the curb stop for buildings that will be abandoned and, where reuse remains possible, to drain systems and take other precautions to reduce freeze, thaw, and sewer-gas risks.

No formal vote was taken to demolish or transfer property; rather the meeting produced operational directions: staff were instructed to follow up on locating a controls contractor for the Science Building’s Honeywell system, perform a fire-alarm test, confirm which panels are monitored and by whom, and prepare detailed condition and cost reports. Consultants said cost estimates for either major renovation or demolition/replacement will be provided on request.

Next steps included arranging a site tour for supervisors, scheduling a community meeting to share detailed evidence in January, and producing written condition reports and photos for committee review.

The committee adjourned after setting tentative future meeting dates.