Most programs are back up and running this fall on the University of Iowa campus after several buildings suffered damage from last year’s flooding. U-I senior vice president of finance, Doug True, updated the Board of Regents on the recovery process Thursday. True says one thing that has been a great accomplishment is the opening of a number of interim facilities for clases in music, theatre, art and art history.
True says the spaces can accommodate those programs for a number of years. True says they are still working to finalize the site for Hancher Auditorium and the arts. One are that is still in the works is the lower level of the student union. True says the union is a complex site that is taking a lot of work with FEMA to protect it from future flooding. He says it is a low site with a footbridge and they have plans to put a terrace there that would protect the site from flooding. He says the terrace also allows the footbridge to remain as it is a vital link across the river.
Students asked the Regents about the progress of the lower level, and True says they can move forward as the flood protection piece is finished. True says the plans will include replacing the student bookstores, and a number of private food vendors to serve students, as well as a number of places for students to study and hang out. The bowling alley — which was one of the popular recreational features of the union will also return.
True says the bowling alley is something the students very much wanted to have restored. He says they are trying to accommodate the needs of the students and provide many alternatives. He says FEMA will pay for a great deal of the repair of the lower level of the union. True says they’ll use university funds to add in new features to the union that were not there before the flood.