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National Institutes of Health |
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Community Liaison Council Meeting
Minutes Draft
HANDOUTS
Janyce Hedetniemi, Director of the Office of Community
Liaison (OCL), welcomed Community Liaison Council (CLC) members and
guests to the bus tour of NIH construction sites and turned the tour
over to Tony Clifford, Director of the Division of Engineering (DES).
Mr. Clifford passed out maps of the campus and the tour route in a
packet which included pictures and specific information about each
site. Both current and planned construction sites were included in
the tour.
From the bus parked in front of the Natcher Conference Center (Building 45), Mr. Clifford pointed out the East Child Care Center which is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in the fall of this year in time for its first class of pre-school children. From the Natcher Building, Mr. Clifford directed the bus through the parking lots 41A and 41B and pointed out the planned site of the Central Vivarium/Animal Research Center. In response to a question about how this differs from the Poolesville animal facility, Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that Poolesville is primarily a holding area for larger animals, many of which are used in behavioral studies. The Vivarium will house small animals, primarily rats and mice, that are needed for campus-wide experiments. Part of the 1995 Master Plan, this building will replace the present animal facility in Building 14. The planning procedure has just begun and completion is not expected until 2007. In response to a question, Ms. Serras-Fiotes pointed out the boundaries of the buffer zone on the south side of the campus. The next site was the Building 11 (Power Plant) Expansion Project, where Mr. Clifford pointed out the co-generation plant and the noise baffles being mounted on the power station. He said that this facility includes one of the largest refrigeration plants on the east coast. The group drove by Multi-Level Parking Garage-6, which is scheduled for a 16-month phased renovation of the existing 900-space parking deck beginning in the summer of 2001. When the renovation is completed, Mr. Clifford said, the lights of the parking deck will be directed away from nearby neighborhoods. The Porter Neuroscience Research Center, presently in the design phase, will be built on the site of Building 35, a cafeteria, to be demolished in the fall of 2001. After completion of the center, scheduled for 2003, the next phase will be to demolish Building 36 and build a new lab in its place. Final completion for this project will be in 2007. Next, the group was shown Building 37, occupied by the National Cancer Institute, which is presently being renovated floor by floor on a project scheduled for completion in 2005. The Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center, Building 40, is practically complete and includes a conference center and "cybercafé." In the northwest quadrant of the NIH campus, the CLC was shown three future construction sites: The Family Lodge, the NIH Firehouse, and the North Substation. The substation site is presently being cleared. Next to it is a parking lot which will soon be cleared to make way for the Firehouse construction. The location of the Family Lodge will be in an area in front of the Convent that is now used for parking. Ms. Serras-Fiotes indicated the site for a proposed parking deck needed to replace spaces lost to the new building sites. The Clinical Research Center (CRC) will be completed in 2003. As the group passed the CRC, Mr. Clifford pointed out the fence posters designed by the children at the Children's Inn and students from the Pathway Schools. The group was also shown the bat and bird houses mounted in the trees to encourage habitat and help with insect control. Off Center Drive across from the CRC, Building 15K, a mental health facility, is currently being renovated for handicapped access. Building 3, one of two historic older buildings adjacent to Building 1, and presently a laboratory, will be decontaminated, remodeled, and turned into offices. The group left the bus, donned hard hats, and joined Frank Kutlak, DES project officer, on a tour of Building 50/Louis Stokes Laboratories, scheduled for completion in May 2001. This building replaces laboratories in Buildings 2, 3, and 7 and, when completed, will house 650 scientists. There are interstitial spaces between each floor, allowing for more efficient construction and maintenance. Each floor is divided into six "neighborhoods", controlled by proximity access cards, and will be occupied by different labs. The laboratories provide lockers and desk space for each scientist, offices for the lab chief and administrative staff, a tissue culture room, a room for large and/or noisy equipment, a library, a sterilizing room, and a small break room. Many unique features of the laboratory are designed to maximize the flexibility and efficiency of the space. The building is a Federal Energy Showcase, featuring optimum use of daylight, photo-voltaves, total lighting control, and heat recovery. After showing the group the laboratories, Mr. Kulak escorted the group past the space designed as a holding area for small animals and then on to the padded, sound proof room designed to house the sensitive electron microscope. From there, they went to the nearby MRI room which will house huge vertical magnets and is constructed with special concrete flooring and in aluminum and other materials that cannot be magnetized. A built-in crane device will allow for the magnets to be moved about without incurring the expense of hiring special cranes. Following the tour, the group adjourned to the Natcher Building to begin the meeting.
Update on the Master Plan
by Stella Serras-Fiotes, Assistant Director for Facilities Planning, Office of Facilities Planning (OFP), Office of Research Services (ORS), NIH Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that, upon completion of the CRC, the large number of programs remaining in the old Building 10 will need to be accommodated in safe, modern facilities, through a phased program of renovation and construction. At present, Building 10 is the heart of all clinical research at NIH and is a dense mixture of labs, offices, and patient facilities. Planning for the disposition of these services while Building 10 is being renovated has become a complex task with campus-wide impact. The study and phasing required for this project are still underway. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said her office had hoped to have begun the NEPA process for the Master Plan Update by this time, but that questions about Building 10 are yet to be resolved. As a result, there will be a delay of three to six months in proceeding with the Master Plan Update. Ms. Hedetniemi said she would notify the Working Groups that their work will be on hold until the plans for Building 10 and their campus implications are further along. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that because the Neuroscience Research Center is not part of the 1995 Master Plan, it will have to be reviewed by the National Capital Planning Commission separately. The CLC will be closely involved in this review. George Oberlander of the Huntington Parkway Citizens Association
asked if the revised plan for Building 10 could result in a decrease
in the number of employees working on the NIH campus compared to
the growth projections. Ms. Serras-Fiotes said that it could. He
also asked her if the modern exterior surfaces on Buildings 36 and
37 were a purposeful choice. Ms Serras-Fiotes said these are in
accordance with the Master Plan, which calls for campus core buildings
to be traditional brick, while the outside buildings that are facing
away from the campus be made of glass and/or concrete. The glass
and steel facade of National Library of Medicine, facing Rockville
Pike, is such an example. Presentation on the Family Lodge Ms. Weymouth introduced Amy McGuire, director of development for the Foundation for the NIH, Inc., which provided $7.5 million to build the Family Lodge. Ms. Weymouth said that, in the mid-1990s, the Clinical Center became aware of the need to offer nearby housing for patient families. Local hotels were too distant to allow easy access to the Clinical Center. The Children's Inn offered a successful example of the advantages of providing housing for families. As a result, the NIH Guest House Project Team was formed to begin plans to meet the need for on-campus housing for families of adult patients. In 1996, the Clinical Center launched the Guest House Pilot Project with seven apartments for patient families and care givers in Building 20. When Building 20 was destroyed in 1998, the program moved to apartments on Battery Lane and since has branched out into rooms in a nearby hotel. The NIH Guest House project is currently providing lodging for 450 guests per year. However, approximately 8,350 annual inpatients and outpatients coming from more than 50 miles away from NIH could require accommodations. So, with a successful pilot project and the need for more lodging identified, the Clinical Center approached the Foundation for the NIH, Inc. in 1999 for funding and received a commitment of $7.5 million for the design and construction of the NIH Family Lodge. An architect has been chosen; the design team has visited and studied several hospital hospitality facilities; and design development has begun. The design phase should be completed in fall of 2001 with construction beginning in February 2002. Ms. Weymouth showed the group a map locating the Lodge on the campus and provided drawings of the building in its present design phase. There will be 34 guest rooms with a maximum occupancy of 94 and one parking space per guest room. Public spaces on the main level will include a reception area, living room, library, family kitchen and dining room, playroom, exercise room, quiet room, and administrative space. There will be two guests rooms on the main level with the remainder on the two floors above. The lower level will house utilities and storage. The building materials and location will be compatible with the nearby Convent. With groundbreaking scheduled for February 2002, completion is expected in 2003. The Lodge will be operated by the NIH Clinical Center with limited on-going support by the Foundation. As with the Children's Inn, local volunteers will be needed to assist with daily operations and staffing. Ralph Schofer of the Maplewood Citizens Association mentioned the continuing problem of what he described as the illegal bed and breakfast in his neighborhood that attracts NIH patients and their families. He believes NIH stipends are used to pay for rooms in this place. Ms. Weymouth said stipends (or reimbursement for travel and lodging) are available to both adult and pediatric patients; however, each IC handles these differently for each protocol, some paying and others not. She added that the Family Lodge will not be large enough to accommodate all patient families, and there will still be the need for other accommodations. In response to a question, Ms. Hedetniemi said that NIH had studied how patient families are accommodated in many other hospitals in clinical centers around the country. It found that it is a common practice of major hospitals to provide lodging for patient families. Careful research was done on the best practices. Ms. Weymouth said the Clinical Center serves more than 21,000 patients and their families, views them as "partners in research," and consequently has a responsibility to recognize and care for their needs. Ms. Weymouth was asked how families will be chosen for accommodation in the Lodge. She said that task is handled by the social work department, using criteria related to acuity of need, length and seriousness of treatment, and financial considerations. Mr. Oberlander asked if the Family Lodge was part of the 1995 Master Plan. Mr. Clifford said that the Lodge is included in the Northwest Quadrant Amendment to the 1995 Master Plan. Mr. Oberlander then asked about the stone facade and was told the Lodge exterior materials, including a stone facade, brick sides and a tile roof, were designed to be compatible with exterior materials of the nearby Convent and the Children's Inn. He then asked if the design plans are complete and was told they have just begun. Mr. Clifford said the location was chosen from one of three possible sites on the basis that it was the best position to offer only one entrance. It aligns with the nearby buildings, and it cuts into the hill to provide good views from all windows without imposing on the landscape. Pat Southerland of the Huntington Parkway Citizens Association asked how the Lodge arrived at a capacity of 94 guests. Ms. Weymouth said it was a cost factor. The Lodge wanted to maximize space for the amount of money available. Mr. Schofer asked if the design and location would allow for expansion. Ms. Weymouth said there are no present plans for expansion but that it was possible. Lynn Portmann of the Suburban Hospital Foundation asked if the $7.5 million grant would cover all of the building expenses. She was told it does not include interior fixtures, furniture, and equipment, all of which will be provided by NIH. Robyn Des Roches of the Edgewood Glenwood Citizens Association asked if 34 parking spaces would be needed since many families would arrive by airplane. She further questioned how those without cars would handle shopping and local transportation. Ms. Weymouth said it was true that many come by plane, but that the Lodge decided nonetheless to allocate one space per room. She also said there would be shuttles from the Lodge to the CRC and to the Metro. She anticipated that the Lodge, could possibly partnership with the Children's Inn, having volunteer drivers take families to shop nearby. Mr. Clifford asked Ms. McGuire to tell the CLC members
how they could contribute to and help publicize the Foundation's fund-raising
campaign. Ms. McGuire passed out a brochure about the Foundation. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Hedetniemi pointed out the various handouts provided for this meeting, calling particular attention to the unique colloquium on the links between the humanities and medicine. This will take place at the Natcher Conference Center in rooms C1 and C2 from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on April 27. Ms. Hedetniemi recognized Jessica Arden, an intern in her office, and congratulated her on her appointment to a permanent position on a U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee.
Ms. Hedetniemi will write members of the Working Groups
on the Master Plan, notifying them of the three to six month delay
in beginning the planning process.
NEXT MEETING The next CLC meeting will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2001, at 4:00 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Natcher Conference Center, Building 45, on the NIH campus. Attendees: Guests: |
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