Regents approve new construction, renovations

During this year's regular summer meeting of the UNT System Board of Regents Aug. 26, regents approved new construction projects on the Eagle Point Campus and renovations at the UNT Research Park.

The board approved plans for a 12-court tennis complex, which will be built on the Eagle Point Campus, with funds from a $1 million gift from an alumnus and $1.6 million in bonds left over from the Student Recreation Center construction. The complex will serve students participating in recreational sports tennis teams and tournaments as well as the UNT NCAA women's tennis team. The project will now be submitted to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for approval.

The board also authorized administrators to negotiate a 30-year lease with the Denton Collegiate Baseball Club for 10 acres west of Bonnie Brae Street, where DCBC intends to build a baseball stadium. DCBC will finance the cost of the stadium with donations and give the stadium to UNT. The lease agreement will allow the stadium to serve as the home facility during the summer for a Texas Collegiate Baseball League team operated by DCBC. During the academic year, UNT will use the stadium for its recreational sports baseball team. The stadium will also be the home of an NCAA team if the university forms one. 

The regents approved renovating space at the Research Park for the Computing and Information Technology Center and the College of Engineering.

Approximately 30,000 square feet will be allocated at the park to the Computing and Information Technology Center, which is currently located in five different buildings on the main campus. The cost of the renovation, which will begin in November, will be $1.85 million. It will be paid for from budgeted Higher Education Assistance Funds.

Another 45,000 square feet will be renovated for expansions of the College of Engineering. The total cost of the renovation, which will begin in January, will be $1.9 million, paid for from budgeted Higher Education Assistance Funds.

Among other actions, the regents:

• Awarded tenure to new faculty appointees Weston Borden, professor and Welch Chair in chemistry, and James Swan, professor of applied gerontology.
• Officially appointed Sandra Terrell as dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies

Relocating most of its functions to the Research Park will consolidate the Computing and Information Technology Center's various departments and enhance their communications and efficiency.

Some 20,000 square feet will be allocated for the Department of Engineering Technology, which currently has 60 percent of its laboratories, offices and classrooms at the Research Park and the rest in the Engineering Technology Building on the main campus. The renovation will move the remaining portions of the department to the Research Park. Another 10,000 square feet will be for offices, a conference room and laboratories for a future construction engineering technology program, which is awaiting Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval. The remaining 15,000 square feet will allow for expansion of the Center for Advanced Research Technology, which expects to purchase new equipment during the next year.

The regents also:

• Voted to acquire 10.2 acres of land on Couch Road in Dallas that will be transferred to the Dallas Independent School District in exchange for 10.2 acres of land owned by the DISD. The trade, which is subject to approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will complete the future UNT at Dallas campus.
• Selected Sasaki Associates to develop the master plan for the future UNT at Dallas campus. Under the terms of the contract with Sasaki, Aguirre Corp. will serve as architects and Turner Collie and Braden Inc. will be the lead civil engineering firm for the campus.
• Approved the Internal Audit Plan for the UNT System.

BY NANCY KOLSTI nkolsti@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• $4 million bequests benefit Department of Biological Sciences and research at UNT
• UNT to honor barrier-breaking athletes Oct. 2
• Start-up the Band seeking used instruments
• Emmy-nominated Queer Eye for the Straight Guy brings New York chic to UNT
• George Foreman to speak at annual leadership lunch
• North Texas Exes to host tailgating in Waco
• UNT celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
• Club at Gateway Center opening soon for Fall 2004
• Family Weekend is Oct. 1-3
• Voter registration deadline for Nov. 2 election approaching

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