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HISTORY <br />Old Heat was constructed in 1946 to serve Central Washington University (CWU) <br />as a coal fire steam plant. The concrete and masonry superstructure has a brick <br />veneer exterior and tall, steel framed indushial windows. lnside the structure is <br />a high-volume, three-story interior space with cat walks, a circular iron staircase <br />and the original coal chute are still present in the building. The four large coal <br />boilers have been removed. <br />The south side of the structure is a single-story addition that was home to a <br />machine shop and furniture shop. Offices on the Southeast side of the structure <br />were used for technological support. <br />ln 1971 Old Heat was taken offline when the construction of a centralized utilities <br />plant was completed. No changes to the structure had been made since its <br />construction. The building was used for storage between 1971 and 2017. <br />A capital improvement grant was requested from the Washington State <br />Legislature in the 2015-2017Capital Budget Request for CWU for $4.9M. CWU <br />was successful in obtaining the request and received $4.9M in July 2015. <br />Additionalfunding would come from the university budget. The combined funds <br />totaled $6, 1 49,067.00. <br />It was recognized during work CWU performed in 2016 that the building's <br />location adjacent to neighborhoods and downtown could help create a synergy <br />between the university and community. During the legislative ask in 2015 one of <br />the strong benefits of the project was interface between the community and the <br />university. The Washington State Legislature liked that aspect of the project. <br />lntegrus Architecture was hired to perform a phase 1 evaluation of Old Heat. <br />lntegrus and their team of consultants were brought onto the project to perform <br />structural, civil, electrical and plumbing, low voltage, and abatement designs and <br />assessments of the building. This scoping work was completed in June 2016. <br />The remodel of the Old Heat Building to become a Community Education Center <br />was the design brief. This center would facilitate programs that are supported by <br />university programs, Some of the programs considered were: <br />A Center for excellence in Science and Math Education <br />US First Robotic Competitions <br />Safety and Health Management Certificate Programs <br />Craft Beer Certificate Program <br />Wine Business Certificate Program <br />The building would house the Auxiliary Services Department and classroom <br />spaces in the single-story south portion of the building and the CWU <br />Welcome Center in the large North Portion of the structure. <br />The work was divided into three phases, This work was carried out from 2016 <br />through 2017, <br />Phase lwas bid on912212016. Lydig Construction was awarded the bid. This <br />scope of work took care of the hazardous material remediation, The initial bid <br />amount was $527,000 and final cost with change orders was $570,940. <br />Phase ll was bid on 111012017. The initial contract amount was $3,386,000, <br />awarded to Lydig construction. This scope of work performed seismic structural <br />work, new windows and insulation were installed in the south single-story section <br />of the structure. The mechanical and electrical rooms throughout the building <br />were outfifted with new electrical and HVAC equipment. The final cost with <br />change orders was $3,585,215. <br />Phase lll was a bid package to complete the fit out of the building as per the <br />design, lt was bid on September 12,2017 , and only one bid was received. The <br />bid was over budget by $1tvt plus at $5,880,583. CWU looked for ways to reduce <br />the cost of the project by changing the scope of work. ln the end the project was <br />put on hold, There were competing projects at the time at CWU, and housing <br />was a top priority as the occupancy rate for rentals was 99% in2017. <br />After the phase lll bid was analyzed, it was determined a $300,000 savings was <br />achievable with more detailed information in the bid package and redesign of <br />some features that required work in tight places to build to specification. <br />24 | Old Heat CERB Feasibility Study