(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents facilities committee has given the go-ahead for several projects on the University of Iowa campus. U-I vice president Rod Lehnertz presented the projects, including one for the children’s hospital. “This as we have mentioned in the write up is a fit out of a shelled space within the Stead Family Children’s Hospital for postpartum rooms, as well as support spaces, family waiting and provider work rooms,” he says. Lehnertz says there’s been an increasing need for services to new mothers.

“A 34 percent growth in the next five years, 63 percent growth in the next ten years in newborn deliveries. And as one of the many services we provide to the citizens of the state of Iowa and beyond, this is an important one and we’re undersized for the demand on that front,” Lehnertz says. Another project involves the modernization of the student union that has had a lot of additions since it was built in 1925. The building was rebuilt in a partnership with the federal government and FEMA following the floods of 2008. “As a part of that deal, we proposed to FEMA to address outdated building systems, it’s a lot of what’s behind the walls in a building of this scale and age and FEMA disallowed it, we would put at risk the federal funds if we did anything other than repair of the building as it was,” he says. They then had to wait for a period of time before doing anything else to the building.

“That period has expired, we’re able to move forward. So we’re going back to fix the things we wanted to fix before,” Lehnertz says. “But a key component of that is tying together public spaces student spaces, so that there is a an easier way to get through and understand your way through the building.” Other projects include the expansion of the CAMBUS maintenance facility and renovating labs in the Bowen Science building.

The full Board of Regents approved the projects at its meeting today (Thursday).