Campus-wide elevator upgrades begin this week

As a result of the upgrades, elevators being worked will be out of service for a week or a month, depending on the level of renovations being completed, according to Director of Communications and Engagement Aaron Nichols
As a result of the upgrades, elevators being worked will be out of service for a week or a month, depending on the level of renovations being completed, according to Director of Communications and Engagement Aaron Nichols. ORACLE PHOTO/DIEGO ADESSO

As part of its ongoing Capital Renewal program, USF will be making campus-wide upgrades to its elevators starting this Monday, according to Director of Communications and Engagement Aaron Nichols.

The $2.1 million project is one of 87 projects part of the university’s renewal program being funded with $72.8 million in deferred maintenance funds from the state, according to Nichols. 

The deferred building maintenance program consists of having universities in the Florida college system submit a list of maintenance, repair and renovation projects totaling each university’s allocation. Projects that are part of this program aim to address deficiencies in campus facilities and infrastructure.

Under the project, elevators will either receive new door lock mechanisms or a complete modernization involving the replacement of the major components of the elevators, according to Nichols. 

The door lock mechanism upgrades will be completed on 51 separate units, including elevators in the Library, USF Tampa Bookstore, Cooper Hall and Crescent Hill Parking Garage, according to Nichols. 

Elevators being upgraded will be out of service for a week, Nichols said. For buildings with more than one elevator, one will be upgraded at a time. Buildings with only one elevator will be upgraded during winter break. Elevators requiring the modernization update will be out of service for a minimum of a month, but most likely longer, according to Nichols. There are seven units which will be modernized in the following buildings:

  • Psych. / Communication Sci. & Disorders Building (ALN)
  • Center For Urban Transportation Research (CUT)
  • Student Services Building (SVC)
  • Sam & Martha Gibbons Alumni Center (ALC)
  • Facilities Management (FPC)

Work on the elevators will start this Monday in the library, John & Grace Allen Building, Engineering Building III and Science Center. 

The door lock mechanism upgrades are expected to be complete by the end of this year and the modernization upgrades are expected to be complete by mid to late 2024, according to Nichols.

CAMILA GOMEZ, NEWS EDITOR

Camila Gomez is the editor in chief of The Oracle. She's a political science and mass communications double major. She started at The Oracle in fall 2022 as a correspondent and worked her way up to managing editor. She grew up in Nicaragua and has a strong desire to build community through her reporting. Reach her at oracleeditor@gmail.com.

Profile