More than half of the $6 million of expenditures approved by the Trustees of Teachers College will be used over the next two years to renovate and restore many of the "core elements" of the institution's infrastructure, such as roofs, facades, windows, electrical wiring, plumbing and restrooms.

In addition, funds will be used to renovate several classrooms.

Although most of these renovations, estimated to cost $3.2 million, will be invisible to the TC community, they are essential, according to Fred A. Schnur, vice president for finance and administration. In all, some $13.5 million worth of critically needed repairs and renovations must be completed at the College over the next three to five years.

As renovations are made, the College will also address other essential needs that affect the safety, health and well-being of the TC community. Fire-alarm systems will be overhauled, asbestos and lead paint will be removed, and buildings will be renovated to comply with federal law, which mandates that buildings must be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The refurbishment needs of the College are a result of decades of deferred maintenance, and, according to Mr. Schnur, "We can defer no longer."

Under the direction of Mr. Schnur and Craig Becker, controller of the College, an extensive and detailed analysis of infrastructure needs led to a distillation of a comprehensive list of repair and renovation priorities.

First, the College hired an architectural and an engineering firm to conduct an independent study of the buildings' infrastructure. Second, the College had its site reviewed by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York. Third, the College hired an environmental engineering firm to assess the danger of hazardous materials, such as lead paint, in its residential buildings. Fourth, Vince Del Bagno, the College's director of facilities, conducted his own extensive internal assessment of the entire campus.

Over the next two years, the College plans to spend $857,000 for the refurbishment of roofs to campus buildings and a half million dollars for the renovation of bathrooms alone.

Other planned expenditures include $570,000 to upgrade the safety of the campus, including the removal of asbestos and lead paint; $505,000 for utilities, such as wiring; $300,000 for classrooms; $240,000 for facades; and $150,000 for windows.

Published Wednesday, Apr. 10, 2002