Most building projects to be halted

Faced with the possibility of massive cuts in state aid to the University, President Sheldon Hackney has ordered a moratorium on all new capital projects, including the construction of the new Law School Library and the continued renovation of College Hall. If the University's financial problems continue, the moratorium will also delay the start of construction of both the campus center and a new University Police headquarters, Vice President for Facilities Arthur Gravina said yesterday. But three projects already planned or underway will not be affected by the moratorium. Ongoing renovations of Logan and Evans halls, as well as the planned construction of the Institute of Advanced Science and Technology on the site of Smith Hall, will continue as scheduled. Additionally, plans to build a cogeneration power plant may go unaffected if the firm selected to build the plant agrees to finance its construction and then sell the energy to the University. Gravina said that the delay in projects may not be as traumatic as it appears, since the University may have a greater cash flow in several years with the expiration of some bond payments. He added that the University has examined several areas to minimize losses. "When you're in a financial crunch you rethink everything you had thought to be a constant," he said. "You look at alternatives that may not be so attractive but which are more financially do-able." The demolition of the Law School dormitory and the adjacent Stern's Dining Hall, which must be torn down to make room for the library, was scheduled for this summer as the initial phase of the library's construction. But Gravina said that project is currently "on hold" because, although the Law School has most of the $28 million needed to pay for the library, the University cannot pay for two related projects which must accompany the demolition. He said those projects include a new dining facility for English House, which currently uses the Stern's kitchen, and a $5 million chillwater piping system between 37th and Sansom streets that would provide the Law School library with airconditioning. Law School Dean Colin Diver said he is optimistic that the construction will begin as planned, but added he could not guarantee that will happen. "If the moratorium is anything more than a short delay, I will be very unhappy, and so will a lot of people at the Law School," he said. "But I'm hoping it will only be a short delay." Diver added that despite Hackney's order, the Law School still plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony May 18. The renovation of College Hall, which began in May, will also be put on indefinite hold next month once workers complete the current phase, Gravina said. The repairs scheduled for the front of the building, which would have forced the president's office to relocate, have been delayed due to a $6 million pricetag, he said. But he insisted that although College Hall is in dire need of repairs, it is structurally sound and poses no danger for its occupants. "College Hall is safe," he said. "It is nowhere as bad as Logan Hall." He said Logan Hall, which workers have been renovating for several years, will be vacated by Christmas for repairs which will last three years and cost the University $16 million. The Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, which the University plans to build for about $75 million, is not included in the moratorium because nearly half of the project's costs will be federally funded, Gravina said. He said delaying construction might jeopardize the project because that could lead to a withdrawal of the federal money, forcing the University to find an additional $35 million. "That could really kill the project," he said.

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