Faculty Court 11 Relocation: Marsh Modular #2

Description of Request

Submitted By: Planning, Design, & Construction

University Facilities Management is preparing for upcoming development along 7th Avenue for future academic facilities to support the University's mission. The entire Facilities operation, including Work Control and campus trades functions, will be relocated and consolidated to make way for new building construction. Faculty Court modulars and Faculty Court houses will be impacted by this relocation. Campus Planning has been working with each Faculty Court occupant to identify relocation opportunities.

The Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) Balloon Outreach, Research, Exploration and Landscape Imaging System (BOREALIS) program is currently located in Faculty Court 11, which is scheduled to be demolished as part of the Facilities yard relocation project. BOREALIS is MSGC's high altitude ballooning program in which students from a variety of curricula work together to conceive, design and build payloads that are flown up to 100,000 feet - the edge of space. After exhausting efforts to find suitable space for this program, staff has identified Marsh Lab Modular #2 as the most viable solution. Furthermore, time is of the essence as the MSGC BOREALIS program has a $6.5 million grant for a Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning program that will focus on detecting gravity waves etc. for eclipse events occurring in October of 2023 and April 2024. This grant will support 40 national teams with thousands of students across a multitude of institutions nationwide, with all the equipment and supplies funneling through the program. Marsh Lab Moduilar #2 has been identified as the most viable space solution fo this group.

Resolution

Date: July 7, 2023

Space Management Committee has approved the relocation of The MSGC BOREALIS program from Faculty Court 11 into Marsh Modular #2.