A proposal to demolish Ashton Center and a request for a $1.8 million renovation of the law school will be voted on by the IU board of trustees when it assembles Thursday and Friday. \nIn their third meeting of the school year, the trustees will convene at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. The board will also look at a plan to evaluate more than 40 parcels of real estate that fall outside the University's master plan. \n
Ashton demolition
\nIU is seeking approval from the board to proceed with the demolition of seven of the eight buildings composing the current Ashton Center to make way for the new $56 million residence center to be built on the same site. \n"These buildings have been phased out over a number of years," said IU Architect Bob Meadows. "Students have not really been living in them and we have cut off the utilities, and this is the next logical step."\nMeadows said only Mottier Hall would be spared, as there are currently academic activities being held there. If the trustees approve the measure, he said, the project would begin as early as this spring. \nThe demolition of almost 170,000 gross square feet of building space on 12.7 acres is estimated to cost $2.2 million and will be funded by Residential Programs and Services. The site will then be graded and seeded to remove any traces of asbestos from the old buildings. \n
Law school renovations
\nThe board will also vote on a proposal to renovate the second and third floors of the IU-Bloomington Law School and a portion of the law library. \nMost of the renovations will focus on reconfiguring existing library facilities and outdated office space into much-needed new classrooms, larger faculty offices and suites for additional academic services, said John Applegate, executive associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Law. \n"This is necessary because the law school's academic programs, number of faculty, admissions office and international programs have expanded considerably since the building was renovated in the 1980s," Applegate said. "This renovation will enable us to meet our students' needs better than the existing space does." \nMeadows said since many law journals are now being made available digitally, there is less need for space for journals in the library, and thus it allows for the creation of more room for offices and academic use. \nPending approval by the trustees, Dean of the School of Law Lauren Robel said the $1.8 million endeavor would begin during this summer and continue for a year and a half. \n
Real estate review
\nA vote by the trustees is expected on a declaration to review approximately 40 parcels of real estate property that fall outside the Bloomington campus master plan. \n"We would like to evaluate and study over the next several months these properties and whether the University should retain ownership of them," Meadows said. "This is the first step in that process of analysis." \nMeadows added that this does not necessarily mean any of the properties will be disposed of.
