Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1956 [PAGE 7]

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[July 26

A formal recommendation relating to the biennial budget and building program for 1955-57 will be presented to the Board of Trustees at its October meeting. PAYMENTS DUE CONTRACTORS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITION TO RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL HOSPITALS ADDITION (3) Before making a final payment on a construction contract, the University requires the contractor to furnish it with a release of all claims, waiver of all liens, and an affidavit acknowledging that payment of balance due will satisfy all claims against the University. Several contractors on the construction of the addition to the Research and Educational Hospitals are unwilling to comply with this requirement because they assert, in addition to claims for balances due under their contracts, substantial claims for damages for delays in the construction of the building for which they contend the University is legally responsible. Because of this the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on September 23, 1953, authorized the waiver, upon certain conditions, of the customary requirements with respect to those contractors who in the judgment of University officials have not contributed to the delay in the completion of this building. Under this authorization the University has made payments to some contractors but under an agreement that such payments are made without prejudice to their claims for damages against the University and the University's rights to contest those claims. The M. J. C. Company, Chicago, heating and refrigerating contractor, and the Wadeford Electric Company, Chicago, electrical contractor, have completed their work and request payment of the balances due under their contracts but also assert claims for damages. In the opinion of University officials these contractors have contributed to the delay in the completion of the building but, nevertheless, they feel these contractors should be paid the balances due them upon compliance with the same conditions applied to final payments in other similar cases, leaving their claims for damages against the University and its claims against them to be disposed of later through settlement or negotiations. Final payment of balances due may assist University officials in reaching a satisfactory settlement with these contractors in respect to their other claims. The Legal Counsel, the Comptroller, and the Director of the Physical Plant recommend that payment to the M. J. C. Company and Wadeford Electric Company of balances due them under their contracts be authorized upon compliance by them with the conditions specified by the Executive Committee of the Board and which have applied to final payments of other contracts. I concur.

On motion of Mr. Hickman, authorization was granted as requested.

JOINT MEETING OF ADMINISTRATIVE BOARDS OF STATE-SUPPORTED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN ILLINOIS (4) The President of the University presented a suggestion which has come from one of the officers of the Teachers College Board that the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois invite the members of the Teachers College Board and members of the Board of Trustees of the Southern Illinois University to be their guests at Urbana-Champaign at an informal meeting during the weekend of September 24-26, 1954.

No formal action was taken on this suggestion, but it was the sense of the Board that the President of the University be authorized to set up such an informal meeting if it appears feasible to do so.

APPROPRIATION FOR BOARD OF TRUSTEES (5) The expenses of operating the Board of Trustees Office during the fiscal year 1953-54 were $1,052.88 over the budgetary provisions. A large part of this cost is due to printing, including the work on the biennial report (the transactions of the Board of Trustees) for the period of July I, 1952, to June 30, 1954. The Secretary requests a supplementary appropriation of this amount to eliminate the over-draft.