The Medical Board met Tuesday at the Ross Heart Hospital and approved contracts for various construction projects. Credit: Courtesy of Marti Leitch
The Wexner Medical Center Board voted Tuesday to approve contracts for two construction projects, totaling $21.8 million in expenses.
Pending approval Friday by the Ohio State Board of Trustees, the authorization allows for a $19.3 million construction contract for the renovation of medical center business offices housed at 600, 660 and 700 Ackerman Road, as well as a $2.5 million professional services contract for the renovation and expansion of a wing at OSU Hospital East.
The building at 700 Ackerman was purchased by the university in February. Previously, it had leased the building.
“The renovation is primarily to address a number of support departments,” said Jay Kasey, the senior vice president of administration and planning. “It will move the number of employees housed in the building from 468 employees to 608 employees.”
Construction on the Ackerman complex is set to take place beginning in August of this year and conclude February 2019.
OSU Hospital East — located on Taylor Avenue, a couple miles east of downtown Columbus — is slated for a $26 million dollar renovation project to redesign and expand operating rooms, among other upgrades. The design process is set to begin next month, with construction taking place from June 2018 through September 2019.
The professional services approval Wednesday of $2.5 million will facilitate the planning and design process for OSU East.
The proposals were approved by unanimous vote during the the public portion of the meeting, which followed a closed-to-the-public executive session which ran three-and-a-half hours, an hour longer than scheduled.
The Board of Trustees and its committees — including the medical center’s board — meet five times per year.
