When the Board of Regents meets next week, it will consider granting some form of approval for nine construction and development projects on the University of Iowa campus — including an expanded neonatal intensive care unit at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital — costing a total of up to $193 million.
The expansion and build-out of the 6-year-old Children’s Hospital will add another $40 to $49 million to the price tag — which, with price escalations during construction, court-ordered payouts to contractors and faulty work requiring widespread window repair — already has seen its price swell from a $270.8 million budget to up to $450 million.
Another project on next week’s regent docket is a $75 million 985-stall West Campus Parking Ramp planned immediately north of Kinnick Stadium. Regents at the same meeting in Ames will be asked to consider letting the UI sell, award and authorize $57.7 million in short-term debt to help cover a portion of the cost of the five-level ramp — which would include electric vehicle charging stations and covered bike parking.
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“The notes provide short-term financing for the project and will be redeemed with longer-term bonds to be issued in one to three years when rates are expected to be lower than the current market,” according to regent spokesman Josh Lehman.
The university is planning to use a range of sources to fund all the projects — including debt, investment income, building renewal funds, hospital revenue and state support.
The Children’s Hospital project will build out its seventh floor, which was left as vacant “shell” space when the 14-story facility opened in 2017.
UI Health Care administrators are proposing expanding the sixth-floor neonatal intensive care unit to the seventh floor as well to “address needs for additional capacity and to closely mirror the existing NICU design on the sixth floor.”
By stretching the NICU to two floors, UICH would add 28 new patient rooms, including support spaces. The proposed project also would add an extra floor to the walk bridge that connects the Children’s Hospital with the labor and delivery space on the seventh floor of the main hospital.
As the University of Iowa looks to raze one of its hospital parking ramps while expanding its hospital campus — eventually constructing a new patient tower — administrators are planning a new $75 million parking ramp that would connect by skywalk to the West Campus Transportation Center, Kinnick Stadium and the hospital. (Photo from Iowa Board of Regents)
As the UI looks to raze one of its hospital parking ramps while expanding its hospital campus — eventually constructing a new inpatient tower — administrators are planning a new $75 million parking ramp that would connect by skywalk to the West Campus Transportation Center, Kinnick Stadium and the hospital.
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“The ramp would alleviate the strain on parking, when hospital parking ramp one is razed to make room for the future patient tower,” according to the university’s request. “It would also provide hospital staff high quality parking connected by a new skywalk to the hospital and the future patient tower.”
The campus plans to pay for the project with revenue bonds and begin construction this spring, wrapping in fall 2025.
UIHC is planning a $37 million, two-story expansion to the south side of its emergency room, along with renovations to its north side, tied in part to behavioral health needs. The project would relocate the 5-year-old Crisis Stabilization Unit from the seventh floor and add a new adolescent crisis stabilization unit.
It also would include construction of a triage room, observation rooms, nursing station, offices, an MRI suite and other support spaces. Renovation of the current emergency room would convert and upgrade the pediatric rooms and suites.
“The increasing demand and crowding of the emergency department continues to impact the service quality that is expected from the patient community,” according to the UIHC request. “This phenomenon is fueled by rapidly growing numbers of (emergency department) visits combined with declining numbers of ED facilities in the community.”
Stressing the need for the emergency department improvements, administrators said crowding is associated with adverse patient outcomes, “including delays in urgently needed treatments.”
A proposed construction timeline for the project envisions three phases — the first this summer, the second starting in winter 2024 and the third in summer 2024.
In collaboration with the state “to create medical innovation and bioscience laboratories to support health care and bioscience innovators and researchers,” the UI is planning a $13 million project to build new laboratories in its new Pharmacy Building and older Pharmaceutical Science Research Building.
The university was awarded $8.2 million in Iowa Economic Recovery Funds “to improve current space, so innovators can advance their ideas into products, devices, techniques, and approaches in the biosciences,” according to regent documents.
It also is planning a $7.8 million renovation of the second floor in its Medical Laboratories Building and Medical Research Center for pediatric research. That work is expected to start this summer and end in summer 2024.
To make way for a new west campus academic building that the university is planning down the road as part of its 10-year master plan, UI administrators are asking to tear down two aged buildings: the south quadrangle housing the ROTC program and the UI Pride Alliance Center at 125 Grand Ave. Court — built in 1922 as a wood-framed home. The Pride Alliance Center plans to move at the end of this semester.
The cost of razing the buildings is combined $1 million, but is expected to save nearly $3.9 million in deferred maintenance costs.
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The expansion and build-out of the 6-year-old Children’s Hospital will add another $40 to $49 million to the price tag — which, with price escalations during construction, court-ordered payouts to contractors and faulty work requiring widespread window repair — already has seen its price swell from a $270.8 million budget to up to $450 million.
Another project on next week’s regent docket is a $75 million 985-stall West Campus Parking Ramp planned immediately north of Kinnick Stadium. Regents at the same meeting in Ames will be asked to consider letting the UI sell, award and authorize $57.7 million in short-term debt to help cover a portion of the cost of the five-level ramp — which would include electric vehicle charging stations and covered bike parking.
Advertisement
“The notes provide short-term financing for the project and will be redeemed with longer-term bonds to be issued in one to three years when rates are expected to be lower than the current market,” according to regent spokesman Josh Lehman.
The university is planning to use a range of sources to fund all the projects — including debt, investment income, building renewal funds, hospital revenue and state support.
Children’s Hospital
The Children’s Hospital project will build out its seventh floor, which was left as vacant “shell” space when the 14-story facility opened in 2017.
UI Health Care administrators are proposing expanding the sixth-floor neonatal intensive care unit to the seventh floor as well to “address needs for additional capacity and to closely mirror the existing NICU design on the sixth floor.”
By stretching the NICU to two floors, UICH would add 28 new patient rooms, including support spaces. The proposed project also would add an extra floor to the walk bridge that connects the Children’s Hospital with the labor and delivery space on the seventh floor of the main hospital.
Parking ramp
As the UI looks to raze one of its hospital parking ramps while expanding its hospital campus — eventually constructing a new inpatient tower — administrators are planning a new $75 million parking ramp that would connect by skywalk to the West Campus Transportation Center, Kinnick Stadium and the hospital.
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“The ramp would alleviate the strain on parking, when hospital parking ramp one is razed to make room for the future patient tower,” according to the university’s request. “It would also provide hospital staff high quality parking connected by a new skywalk to the hospital and the future patient tower.”
The campus plans to pay for the project with revenue bonds and begin construction this spring, wrapping in fall 2025.
ER expansion
UIHC is planning a $37 million, two-story expansion to the south side of its emergency room, along with renovations to its north side, tied in part to behavioral health needs. The project would relocate the 5-year-old Crisis Stabilization Unit from the seventh floor and add a new adolescent crisis stabilization unit.
It also would include construction of a triage room, observation rooms, nursing station, offices, an MRI suite and other support spaces. Renovation of the current emergency room would convert and upgrade the pediatric rooms and suites.
“The increasing demand and crowding of the emergency department continues to impact the service quality that is expected from the patient community,” according to the UIHC request. “This phenomenon is fueled by rapidly growing numbers of (emergency department) visits combined with declining numbers of ED facilities in the community.”
Stressing the need for the emergency department improvements, administrators said crowding is associated with adverse patient outcomes, “including delays in urgently needed treatments.”
A proposed construction timeline for the project envisions three phases — the first this summer, the second starting in winter 2024 and the third in summer 2024.
Pharmacy, pediatric research
In collaboration with the state “to create medical innovation and bioscience laboratories to support health care and bioscience innovators and researchers,” the UI is planning a $13 million project to build new laboratories in its new Pharmacy Building and older Pharmaceutical Science Research Building.
The university was awarded $8.2 million in Iowa Economic Recovery Funds “to improve current space, so innovators can advance their ideas into products, devices, techniques, and approaches in the biosciences,” according to regent documents.
It also is planning a $7.8 million renovation of the second floor in its Medical Laboratories Building and Medical Research Center for pediatric research. That work is expected to start this summer and end in summer 2024.
Razing
To make way for a new west campus academic building that the university is planning down the road as part of its 10-year master plan, UI administrators are asking to tear down two aged buildings: the south quadrangle housing the ROTC program and the UI Pride Alliance Center at 125 Grand Ave. Court — built in 1922 as a wood-framed home. The Pride Alliance Center plans to move at the end of this semester.
The cost of razing the buildings is combined $1 million, but is expected to save nearly $3.9 million in deferred maintenance costs.
University of Iowa seeks permission for major construction projects
One of those projects is a $40 to $49 million expansion and build-out of its six-year-old Stead Family Children’s Hospital that -- with price escalations during construction, court-ordered payouts post-construction, and faulty work requiring widespread window repair -- already has seen its price...
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