By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Two of the oldest BGSU residence halls will be getting air conditioning .
The BGSU trustees Friday (12/9) voted to spend $18 million to install air conditioning in McDonald and Kohl halls.
That the buildings are not airconditioned has been cited by more and more incoming students and their families, said Cecilia Castellano, vice president for enrollment management.
BGSU and Ohio State are the only state universities that have some residence halls that are not air conditioned.
Chief Financial Officer Sheri Stoll said the work will begin as soon as students vacate McDonald Hall in spring 2023. Rather than do the work in phases, the residence hall will remain offline throughout the year.
Then in spring, 2024, Kohl Hall will be closed so the air conditioning can be installed.
Students who would have lived in the residence halls will be moved to Kreischer.
One wing with about 700 beds was closed around the time of the pandemic. Those rooms will now be reopened, Stoll said.
McDonald, built in 1962, has 755 beds, and Kohl, built in 1939 and added onto in 1962, has 360. It is also home to several learning communities.
She also said the university is exploring a space in an existing resident hall that is not used as living space. That space is air conditioned.
There should be “sufficient beds” for the first-year students and sophomores who are required to live on campus, she said.
Stoll said that the $18 million proposal contains a larger than usual contingency of $1,475,000, plus additional funding to cover inflation.
She said given economic uncertainty that was felt to be necessary, though the university officials are hopeful that money would not have to be spent.
Stoll added that while supply chain problems no longer get headlines, there are still “hiccups in the system.”
They are acting now to make sure these don’t affect the work.
April Smucker, associate vice president for planning, construction, and campus operations, said the plumbing in McDonald will also be upgraded while the building is closed. That not included in the $18 million.
Starting in 2010, McDonald has been undergoing a phased modernization. Stoll said that in 2010 adding air conditioning was considered, but it was not “as top of mind as it clearly has now become” for prospective students and their families. She said they also wanted to make sure there were residence halls in the least expensive tier.
Both residence halls will be more expensive once they are air conditioned.
The project comes as the university ponders what is needed for residential life on campus in the future.
Stoll said several times that Kreischer Quadrangle, built in 1966, is coming to the end of its useful life.
However, its proximity to the Student Recreation Center and the ice arena adds to its appeal for some athletes, President Rodney Rogers said.
Also, because of its location near the Wolfe Center, College of Musical Arts, and the School of Art students in the arts “find it attractive as well.”
Kreischer houses the Arts Village.
