Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1960 [PAGE 1324]

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i960]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

1321

separate drawings and specifications and the expense of separate bidding procedures on each project. It is a practice which the University has followed for a number of years. General •— English Brothers, Champaign. Electrical — Brunkow Electric Company, Champaign. Plumbing—Thomas Plumbing and Heating Company, Urbana. Heating, Piping, Refrigeration, and Automatic Temperature Control Systems — David W. Reichard Plumbing and Heating, Urbana. Ventilating and Distribution Systems for Conditioned Air — Scliroeder and Sons Company, Champaign. The work will be done only as ordered by the Physical Plant Department and will be paid for on the basis of the actual cost of each job plus the contractor's fees. A schedule of bids taken showing the percentages to be added for work to be executed under cost-plus contracts is attached, and a copy of this schedule is filed with the Secretary of the Board for record as the basis for the contract awards recommended. Awards of these contracts will require no assignment of funds at this t i m e ; each job will be covered by a contract change order charged against funds allocated for it. I concur.

On motion of Mr. Johnston, these contracts were awarded, as recommended, by the following vote: Aye, Mr. Clement, Mr. Harewood, Mr. Herrick, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Pogue, Mr. Swain, Mrs. Watkins, Mr. Wilkins, Mr. Williamson; no, none, absent, Mr. Stratton.

CHANGES IN TELEPHONE SYSTEM ON URBANA CAMPUS (io) Telephone service on the Urbana campus is provided through an administrative system, which includes a central semi-automatically operated four-position switchboard located in the Illini Union serving approximately 3,200 telephones, and a residence hall system, which includes a central manually operated eightposition switchboard located in Clark House serving 2,185 telephones in individual student rooms in all the residence halls. The facilities of these systems will be inadequate by September, 1961. The areas in which the switchboards and equipment are now located are too small to permit expansion of the facilities needed to meet additional requests for telephone service. Expansion of the present system would require the construction of a new building of approximately 8,000 square feet at an estimated cost of $200,000, plus installation of cable necessary to tie existing stations into the new switchboard location, and relocation of switchboard equipment in the new building. Such expansion would not improve the quality of service, nor would it provide space for unlimited expansion of the system in the future. The Illinois Bell Telephone Company has offered to replace the present system with a single fully automatic system serving all University buildings, including the residence halls, which would reduce the amount of space required from 2,300 square feet to 200 square feet. This would release space for office and storage use in the Illini Union Building and Clark House. All the automatic equipment would be in a new building to be constructed by the Illinois Bell Telephone Company to serve the campus area, and would permit unlimited expansion of the system without the acquisition of more space by the University. The system would permit all University telephones to be reached directly by outside callers without the assistance of an operator, and all University telephone users could dial long distance or local points directly without the aid of an operator. University operators would be available, however, to complete incoming calls when such service is needed. The operating costs of the automatic system would be slightly higher during the first two years than the costs resulting from an expansion of the present system; however, the large capital cost would be saved. After three years, the operating costs of the automatic system will be less than the costs of the present system expanded since fewer operators would be required. The Director of the Physical Plant and the Vice-President and Comptroller recommend that conversion to the fully automatic system be approved and that