LPA Responds to KU Chancellor's Comments at Feb 20 House Higher Education Budget Committee Meeting
/UPDATE: We are pleased to report that Representative Mike Amyx requested that the following proviso concerning Irma Smith Hall be added to the budget approved by the House Higher Education Budget Committee. It should be noted that while this is an important action, there are additional steps before the budget is finalized and no guarantees this proviso will survive that process.
Please thank Representative Mike Amyx, who represents District 45 that includes the western parts of Lawrence, for his efforts to ensure the future of Smith Hall is fully explored.
Sec. 69. UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
(b) During the fiscal years ending June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024, notwithstanding the provisions of any statute to the contrary, no expenditures shall be made by the above agency from moneys appropriated from the state general fund or any special revenue fund or funds for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 as authorized by chapter 81 or chapter 97 of the 2022 Session Laws of Kansas, this or any other appropriation act of the 2023 regular session of the legislature, to move or place in storage any related artwork, including but not limited to the statue of Moses, on the demolish or raze Smith hall and Lawrence campus until the above agency has submitted a written revised and updated land use plan for the Lawrence campus to the state board of regents: Provided, That such plan shall include the justification for such demolition or razing of Smith hall and the plan for the use of the land currently occupied by Smith hall: Provided further, That such plan shall be presented to the state board of regents at a public meeting where members of the public shall be allowed to present testimony: And provided further, That if such plan is approved by a majority of the members of the state board of regents in a public meeting, then the above agency may expend moneys during fiscal year 2023 and 2024 to demolish or raze Smith hall.
Lawrence Preservation Alliance has submitted the following letter in response to KU Chancellor Girod’s comments at the February 20th, 2023 House Higher Education Budget Committee Meeting regarding the proposed demolition of KU’s Smith Hall:
Letter from Lawrence Preservation Alliance - March 1, 2023
Stained Glass in KU’s Smith Hall. (Photo by Tom Harper)
Chancellor Douglas A. Girod
230 Strong Hall
1450 Jayhawk Blvd.
Lawrence, KS 66045
March 1, 2023
Dear Chancellor Girod,
We have reviewed your comments to the House Higher Education Budget Committee on February 20th and are responding to several points that were raised related to the campus built environment.
First, we would like to acknowledge that being tasked to respond in detail to an extremely wide range of potential questions with complete accuracy is a near impossible challenge to meet. As such is the case, below we have provided some additional information, context, and corrections.
In your response to a question about demolitions, it should be noted that while you referenced the new KU Master Plan process underway and such factors to consider in campus planning decisions as demand, utilization, technology, deferred maintenance and where students wish to congregate on campus, neither protecting history nor the beauty of campus were mentioned. As you know, much of the historic core of campus along Jayhawk Boulevard falls into one of two National Register Historic Districts that were created by your predecessors. Creating these districts not only recognized the historic value of these districts but came with an obligation by KU to take all feasible and prudent means possible to preserve and protect these resources.
Concerning Irma I. Smith Hall, it should be noted that in the workshops for the Master Plan the two areas of campus that students considered the most critical are the Memorial Union and Wescoe Beach. As you know, Smith Hall is across Jayhawk Boulevard and stands in dialogue with the Memorial Union.
Please know that in May 2022, at KU’s request KBOR allocated funding for Smith Hall to be demolished during Fiscal Year 23, using a portion of the $10M building demolition account provided by the 2022 Legislature. The public conversation about this building did not arise because KBOR required the universities to share information about potential demolition projects 10-20 years into the future. The KU buildings that were placed on an "eventual" list for demolition are easily distinguishable from Smith in the records.
As for the recent town hall for the Master Plan, which was the second forum, please note that the invitation indicated the event was only open to KU faculty, staff, and students. Alumni and other members of the Lawrence community were not invited.
Smith Hall is not currently vacant. Religious Studies Department members are occupying offices on the first floor and in the basement. The classrooms on the first floor are still in use and the Moore Reading Room is open and being utilized for research and study as well as events. And, of course, The Moore Reading Room still houses the two-story library collection focused solely on the study of religion. It should be noted that any lack of utilization of Smith Hall is the direct result of decisions made by KU to not move programs or people into offices and spaces that have over time become vacant. This is somewhat surprising, considering the highly desirable location of Smith Hall and recent investments made in the neighboring Alumni Association property and the Memorial Union.
In your comments, you reference “massive upgrades” required for Smith Hall. Based on the Regents 2020 REPORT ON STATE UNIVERSITY BUILDING INVENTORY, SPACE UTILIZATION, AND FACILITIES CONDITION, it appears you may have been misinformed in this regard. The report is long and dense, and thus justifies several extended quotes and the comments that follow.
I quote from the executive summary (emphasis added): “Last year, Accruent, Inc. was engaged to complete a systemwide facilities assessment of almost five hundred facilities. Their property assessment process entailed field surveying, data collection, evaluation and cost analysis for tens of thousands building components and systems and is more intensive, systematic and granular in detail than the methodology utilized for the past assessments. Accruent utilizes RSMeans Construction Data, a trusted industry standard, to develop estimated replacement and renewal costs. This cost data is updated annually to reflect current market conditions. At the end of 2020, Accruent’s data compilation from assessments include approximately half of the buildings in the portfolio, representing over 26 million gross square feet of space. The future objective is to assess the entire portfolio with this inspection methodology and log the entire portfolio in the VFA Facility database. For buildings not assessed by Accruent’s team of architectural, engineering and construction professionals, estimated renewal costs have been extrapolated from the previous assessment data.
Smith Hall was assigned a Facilities Condition Index (FCI) score of .25. a solid “B” in a range of best to worst ranging from “A” to “F”. I again quote: “The Facilities Condition Index is an industry standard metric that identifies the magnitude of needs and deficiencies for a building or campus. This ratio is derived by dividing the total estimated cost to replace a building into the renewal costs to address all pastdue work that has been deferred on a planned or unplanned basis, along with five years of projected future maintenance needs.”
The renewal cost to bring Smith Hall to 90%, or “A / good” condition, is projected to be $859,151. The report suggests this is the total cost required, and if there are other costs that were not included in this figure, KU needs to provide details on what these may entail. Moreover, we would like to note that we have been very disappointed to have recently heard from multiple sources comments originating at KU that disparage this 2020 Regents study.
As you know, at the request of Lawrence Preservation Alliance (LPA), Smith Hall was recently reviewed for eligibility for listing on the State and National Register by our State Historic Preservation Office. It was determined to be potentially eligible, which aligns with the documentation that created the historic district in which it stands. That nomination noted that it was not included as a contributing structure at the time that district was created solely because it did not meet the requirement of being 50 years old. Built in 1967, that is no longer the case. LPA has offered our assistance in listing Smith Hall.
State listing would qualify work that follows the Secretary of Interior’s Standards to qualify for a 25% tax credit that KU could then convert to cash on the open market.
Noting the potential tax credits, the cost of demolition and cost of renewal are almost equal. Renewal would result in a building in good condition, valued in the 2020 Regents report at $5,664,135, that would provide KU 20,205 square feet of space in a prime location.
Perhaps most importantly, revitalizing Smith Hall preserves the historic character of the north end of Jayhawk Boulevard, the beloved representation of the Burning Bush stained glass window and sculpture of Moses, and continues the 122-year tradition of teaching religious studies at 13th and Oread. At the same time, it would be an appropriate way to return the good will shown to KU for many years by the Kansas Bible Chair and respect the legacy of over 500 donors throughout and beyond Kansas who gave to build Smith Hall. (Donor list can be found under the heading From Abilene to Winfield: the Kansans who built Smith Hall here: https://savesmithhall.org.
Thank you, Chancellor Girod, for your service to KU and the State of Kansas. Please know that we have drafted this letter because we value the many ways KU enriches our communities.
Sincerely,
Mike Delaney
President