On Feb. 6-7 the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents will consider an updated scope, schedule and corresponding increase in the budget for the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant/Center for Dairy Research addition. The request to the Regents comes after months of reviewing and refining construction documents to specify the equipment and process piping, which came in higher than the original project allowance when quotations were solicited in early 2019.

Since then, the project team representatives from the Department of Administration, DATCP, UW System, UW–Madison and the dairy industry have been meeting regularly to assess the project’s progress. Hill International conducted an external review of the project and recommended the partners engage an owner’s representative to assist with the final stages of project planning and construction. Gilbane has been serving as the owner’s rep since November.

Working together, the partners have finalized plans that require approval first by the UW Board of Regents, who oversee all university construction. The Regents will consider increasing the budget for the project by $25.7 million. Pending approval by the Regents, the final plans will also require approval by the State Building Commission, which has oversight for all state building projects. A meeting of the Building Commission is scheduled for later in February.