University Facilities is renovating two floors of the Dillard Building to prepare for the move of Mail Services’ print and distribution operations out of the Union in preparation for the eventual demolition of the Union and Harcombe and Johnstone halls.
Mike Parker, Facilities’ project manager for the renovation, said a major part of the work is beginning December 19 during winter break.
When complete, students and employees will be able to ship packages, buy stamps and send mail in the Dillard building under contract with Ricoh, which operations Mail Services.
Students’ post office boxes will be replaced by Amazon-style lockers such as those at Douthit Hills and Manning Hall. When students receive packages or mail, they will get a text telling them the location and number and location of the locker with their items along with a QR code to unlock it. When they close the locker, the QR code re-sets for the next user.
Parking and Transportation Services will be moving to a renovated space in the top floor of the Klugh Avenue building that formerly housed Facilities offices. The timeline for that move has not been set. Occupational and Environmental Safety and the Enterprise car rental desk also will be moving to Klugh.
Two Mechanical Engineering classrooms moved to renovated rooms in Sirrine Hall last summer along with ROTC and some Student Affairs organizations, which moved out of the Union in December 2020.
The timetable for demolition of the Union, Harcombe and Johnstone is not set yet.