ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved today (Sept. 22) a project for Mary Markley Hall that will continue the work laid out in a comprehensive plan to upgrade residence halls across campus.

The $9.4 million construction project for the Hill area residence, authorized by the board Sept. 22, will include fire protection enhancements and electrical and information technology upgrades.

Markley will be the 11th residence hall to have fire alarm systems upgraded and the sixth to have fire suppression (sprinkler) systems installed, following South Quad, Fletcher, West Quad, Bursley and Oxford Housing. The updates are among many outlined in the Residential Life Initiatives (RLI), a long-range plan for improving facilities to enhance student life and learning in on-campus housing. Sprinkler installation in all traditional halls is expected to be complete by 2011.

Sprinklers will be an additional life safety component along with the Markley fire alarm system that was upgraded in 2004. IT improvements will include installation of new wiring and high-speed network equipment. The project is to be completed in phases in order to minimize disruption to the 1,180 residents. The U-M Department of Architecture, Engineering and Construction is designing the project. Markley is a 298,000 gross square-foot hall built in 1959.

Another RLI project underway this year is a major renovation of Mosher-Jordan Hall (MoJo), which has been taken off line as a student housing facility until Fall 2008. MoJo is the first residence hall to undergo major upgrades to its plumbing, elevators, heating, ventilation, fire detection and suppression systems. The project includes renovated bath facilities, the addition of air conditioning and accessibility improvements. The hall is getting wired and wireless high-speed network access. The Mojo renovation, approved by the board a year ago, also calls for the building of new community learning spaces.

Construction also is underway for the new Hill Dining Center, which will be built into the hillside above Palmer Field and connected to Mosher-Jordan. It will replace the Alice Lloyd, Couzens, Mosher-Jordan and Stockwell dining rooms when it opens at the start of the 2008 Fall Term. The center will feature a 700-seat marketplace dining room and a 70-seat caf