October 2014 – Community Forum Newsletter

WALL MANSION UPDATE
Jason Perry, vice president of Government Relations

In the spring of 2014 the University of Utah was gifted the historic Enos A. Wall Mansion and surrounding property by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building was formerly known as the LDS Business College. Richard Kletting designed this magnificent neo-classical structure. Kletting was responsible for designing much of the architecture in downtown Salt Lake City and most notably, the Utah State Capitol.

The Wall Mansion, located at 411 E. South Temple, will be completely restored to its original state when Kletting finished his designs. The east wing, constructed in 1956, will be demolished, allowing for the restoration of the grand entrance and exposing the architectural features of the east face of the mansion. Plans include the restoration of the carriage house, renovation of the west wing and adding beautiful gardens.

This building will act as the University’s embassy to downtown. We anticipate it will host ambassadors, business leaders, the community, and the University’s most important events. The first floor will be restored as closely as possible to the condition it was in when the Wall family called the mansion their home. The second floor will house The Utah Policy Institute, which will be a trusted public policy resource that will serve elected officials, community leaders, and the public in Utah. The third floor contains a large ballroom and kitchen that will be restored and modernized.

Along with the generous gift of the mansion itself, the LDS Church included 36 on-site parking stalls and approximately 30 more in a lot across the street. Once restored, we anticipate the Wall Mansion will be an important gathering place for our community where ideas are shared, important guests are welcomed, and future of our state is shaped.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE EXERCISE
Marty Shaub, executive director for Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management

The University of Utah partnered with the Utah Division of Emergency Management and the Utah National Guard on Nov. 3-6 for an earthquake preparedness exercise. The exercise was designed to test and improve responses to a natural disaster where hundreds of people may be stuck on campus. Guard members practiced rescue efforts by searching in the university tunnels and simulated moving patients to University Hospital. The university set up large housing tents, storage areas, generators, lights and portable restrooms as part of the drill. University Hospital also participated by setting up a mobile hospital unit capable of treating patients.

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY
Melissa Johnson, director of Operations for Commuter Services
John Doherty, Horrocks Engineering

The University of Utah has retained Horrocks Engineers to develop a Campus Parking and Transportation Master Plan and Research Park Mobility Master Plan. The Master Plan will address roadway, transit, parking and non-motorized transportation issues on the University campus, Medical Center and Research Park and provide recommendations to help resolve issues and concerns as these areas continue to develop and change.

Public and community input is an important part of the Master Plan. The Horrocks team is currently accepting comments until Dec. 15 through an interactive mapping website. The site includes a map of the campus and intersections of concern have been highlighted in green. To provide input, visitmaps.horrocks.com/upubliccomment, zoom to an area on the map that you would like to comment on, click anywhere on the map to comment, fill out the comment form and click “submit.” All contact information will be kept confidential and will only be used for this project. A project hotline has also been set up to receive comments at 801-923-3656. The comments received will be compiled and incorporated into recommendations for the Master Plan. Once the Master Plan has been drafted, the Horrocks team will present the recommendations to the public through the Community Forum scheduled for 5–6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8 in the Union Den and at the next Traffic & Transportation Committee meeting in mid-January.

CURRENT CONSTRUCTION UPDATE AND IMPACTS
John McNary, director of Campus Planning, Facilities Management

Primary Children’s Ambulatory Care Center
This building was completed in August and sits near the north end of Mario Capecchi Drive. It houses administrative office space, clinics and labs. It also has a skywalk across Mario Capecchi to Primary Children’s Hospital.

S.J. Quinney College of Law Building
Expected completion of the new law building by summer 2015. This building is designed to be LEED platinum certified and maximize accessibility with ADA compliant routes from the nearby TRAX station. Track the progress on a live cam at facilities.utah.edu/projects/sj-quinney-law.php.

George S. Eccles Student Life Center
The new energy efficient Student Life Center will open January 2015, equipped with study spaces for students, a wellness clinic, climbing wall, indoor pool and much more.

Ray and Tye Noorda Oral Health Sciences Building
The Oral Health Sciences Building will be located in Research Park just east of the Orthopedic Center, and house a dental clinic with oral surgery, pediatrics, diagnostics, classrooms, research and more. As part of the project, a parking terrace is planned to serve those who use the facility. The dental clinic currently located in the hospital will move to this new location upon completion early next year. The building will be finished by the end of 2014.

Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility
The new Basketball Facility combines existing space and a new facility for the university basketball teams to inspire existing and future athletes. It is expected to be finished September 2015. The center includes a weight room, training room and offices for coaches.

Business Loop Parking Garage
This parking structure will be located in the current Business Loop, near the new Beverly Taylor Sorensen Arts and Education Complex, and is closed to through traffic until completion in April 2015. The four-level garage will provide 800 parking stalls, a net increase of 550 stalls, to accommodate parking needs on campus.

Northwest Parking Garage
This parking garage is under construction at the corner of 100 South and 1445 East. It will provide a net increase of 274 stalls to respond to a growing need for additional parking on campus. The garage will be complete in the summer of 2015.

Rio Tinto Kennecott Mechanical Engineering Building
Phase two of the renovation and expansion of The Kennecott Building is underway. Expected completion is April 2015. This facility will provide a new large classroom, student labs and offices for the mechanical engineering department.

Huntsman Cancer Institute
The Huntsman Cancer Institute started excavation for phase four of the Primary Children’s & Family Cancer Research Center, which is slated for completion spring 2017. The goal is to provide collaboration among scientists and promote interaction with clinical staff determining patient needs in advance.

Huntsman Center Arena
The Huntsman Center Arena received an upgrade and renovation completed this past October. The changes make the center better suited to host a variety of events. A new structural hanging grid provides the option to section off the arena to make the venue smaller if needed. The lighting and sound systems were also upgraded.

Lassonde Studios
The new Lassonde Studios building will be home to university student entrepreneurs. It will incorporate about 400 living spaces and a 20,000-square-foot “garage” for students to work on their inventions and develop ideas. Learn more at lassonde.utah.edu/studios/.

Murray Clinics
The UU Mid Valley Health Center, located in Murray just north of Fashion Place Mall, will help reduce university congestion by moving a central clinical hub for School of Medicine departments of Dermatology and Ophthalmology off campus. Students and residents will use this facility for patient care and medical training.

@theU

Community Forum Newsletters