Pictured above: The $5 million renovations were first announced in 2018, but have been pushed back multiple times — this time, due to coronavirus.
Thomas Iacobucci | The Crow’s Nest
By James Bennett III
The second floor renovations in Lowell E. Davis Memorial Hall have been pushed back again.
In a message to USF St. Petersburg staff on April 10, Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock announced that Davis Hall’s $5 million renovations are now scheduled to be completed by next spring.
Tadlock added that faculty would have the opportunity to move into their offices over winter break.
The renovations aim to make the classrooms accessible to more than one discipline while giving the building a more collegiate presence.
“Due to coordination and logistics issues related to the Florida Stay at Home mandate, we’ve had to temporarily pause construction,” the update said.
“Thank you for your continued patience and flexibility. Please know that we are making every effort to move forward and hope we can make significant progress during this rare period when the building is unoccupied.”
The updated renovation schedule came one week after The Crow’s Nest reported the university was exploring “alternative scenarios” to the original deadline.
However, the project has been riddled with schedule changes since it was first announced two years ago.
Blueprints for the remodel were originally supposed to be finished by fall 2018 but were delayed due to consolidation. Construction on the university’s new, $31.5 million residence hall also stunted the progress.
Then, in November 2019, the university announced the renovations would be finished by July 2020.
“In the end, the improvements to Davis Hall will certainly be worth the wait,” Tadlock said in the April 10 email.
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