New child care center, window replacement among UI projects seeking approval at Board of Regents meeting next week

The University of Iowa is seeking approval from the Iowa Board of Regents for four capital improvement projects, among them a new child care center for UI Health Care and Carver College of Medicine faculty and staff. The current child care center in UI Health Care’s Westlawn building contains “$32 to $37 million in deferred maintenance,” board documents state, and the outdated building, located along Newton Road, is slated for demolition to make way for a new cancer research facility. The University is proposing the estimated $7.5 to $10 million child care center be constructed on a portion of parking lot 49, south of Melrose Avenue and the UIHC Pomerantz Family Pavilion. Operated by the third-party Bright Horizons, the current center has capacity for 100 children and is “an important recruitment and retention tool, enhancing the well-being of faculty and staff with young families,” wrote Rod Lehnertz, senior vice president for finance and operations, in a campus post. If approved at the Feb. 27 Board of Regents meeting, construction on the child care center would begin in 2026 with an estimated finish date of 2027, funded by University Hospital Building Usage Funds.

Mayflower Residence Hall to renovate first floor

The university will also seek $2.4 million to renovate the first floor of the 57-year-old Mayflower Residence Hall, located at 1110 North Dubuque St. Partially renovated in 2009 following the 2008 flood with no updates since, the proposed remodel would “replace aging services and finishes on the first floor to make the building more inviting and attractive to both first year and returning students,” board documents state. To accomplish this, the university is proposing updated flooring, wall treatments, and ceiling replacements, along with:

• Transforming the current multipurpose room into an open study lounge with adjacent separate study rooms
• Expanding and relocating the fitness room to the front of the building for improved visibility
• Downsizing the computer lab

“Refreshes” would also be applied to public areas like the lobby and conference rooms “to optimize functionality and create a more welcoming, student success-centered environment,” documents state. The university placed Mayflower Residence Hall on the market in February 2023 for $45 million as part of its five-year plan to upgrade its housing system, but removed it a year later when it received a record number of applications for fall 2024. The renovation would remove $100,000 in deferred maintenance and receive funding from the University Housing Renewal and Improvement Funds, generated from residence system room and board charges. If approved by the board, the project would begin in spring 2025 and be completed by fall.

Iowa Memorial Union renovation will house consolidated student health, wellness services

A proposal for an $81.4 million renovation of the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) is also on the agenda for next week’s meeting. “While removing a substantial amount of deferred maintenance, the project would be a comprehensive renovation focusing on student success, support, organizations, leadership, resources, and activities, enhancing the facility as the primary student social center,” board documents state, noting that deferred maintenance is estimated at $55 million. A key component of the project is consolidating student health, wellness and counseling services into a single location within the IMU to improve accessibility and streamline support for students.

The documents state that renovation will include a redesign of the south entrance by eliminating vehicle access to create a pedestrian plaza, which will “strengthen connections” between the IMU, Hubbard Park, the river corridor and the river terrace on the building’s west side. To accommodate the expansion of student health and wellness services, the Iowa House Hotel, located inside the IMU, permanently closed earlier this month. Once renovations are complete, University Counseling Service and Student Health – currently housed in the Westlawn building – will relocate to the IMU. “Bringing together clinical health services, mental health counseling, and student care resources such as the food pantry and case management for students facing emergencies allows students to address multiple facets of their physical and mental health all at one central location,” wrote Sarah Hansen, vice president for student life, in a campus post. “Making these services and resources more accessible ensures students have the support they need to excel.” The renovation would be funded primarily through a new student fee of $100 to $120 per semester, board documents state. According to university officials, the fee – proposed and approved by the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate and Professional Student Government – reflects long-standing student interest in updating the IMU. An additional $6.4 million will come from Student Health funds. If approved, construction is slated to begin in spring 2025, with completion expected in 2027. To ensure the building remains open and operational throughout the renovation, the project will be completed in phases, documents state. The Board of Regents granted the university permission to move forward with planning in September 2023.

Construction of arena parking ramp

The university is seeking budget and design approval to move forward with its plans for a new parking ramp, estimated at $96 million.

The five-level, 1,259 stall parking garage would be located between the College of Dentistry and Carver-Hawkeye Arena and serve mainly UI and UI Health Care staff, board documents state, and would include a new pedestrian crossing at Hawkins Drive and Newton Road as well as a new vehicle canopy for the College of Dentistry. “With the additional growth in parking from the planned inpatient tower, a reduction in surface parking from other projects such as the water tower relocation and the new Health Sciences Academic Building, and with immediate proximity to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, there is an important need to add efficient parking in this part of our campus,” Mr. Lehnertz noted in a campus post. “There is also a critical need to provide additional parking close to where UI Health Care staff care for Iowans visiting our hospital.” The project would remove $100,000 in deferred maintenance and receive funding from the university’s parking improvement and replacement funds. If approved, construction would begin after the new Hawkeye Parking Ramp, located north of Kinnick Stadium, opens later this spring.

UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital confronting ‘near total’ window replacement

The university is requesting approval to revise the budget for replacing windows on the Stead Family Children’s Hospital, citing additional concerns that have been raised since the original project description and budget were approved in February 2023. The requested budget of $52.5 million, a 16% increase from the initial $45 million, would cover the cost of eight nine-story columns of exterior windows called “slot” windows.

Currently, the hospital has been overseeing construction to replace patient windows on levels 3 through 11, as well as the connector bridge to the John Pappajohn Pavilion; however, consultants hired by the university to investigate the windows have identified additional concerns with the performance of the current slot windows, recommending a full replacement. “Since the completion (of the hospital in 2017), window issues have resulted in a near total window replacement effort. These issues include the development of delamination and cracking that present potential safety hazards,” board documents stated. “During continued active monitoring, additional concerns regarding the performance of the slot windows have been identified that warrant replacement of all these windows to maintain both safety and building envelope integrity.” In June 2021, the university announced a lawsuit against Cupples Construction and Knutson Construction, claiming the companies installed defective windows.