Full approval was granted by the Board of Regents to all of NIU’s proposed property transactions.

The Regents approved NIU’s request to lease property on Franklin Street in DeKalb to house the NIU Gynecology Clinic at an annual cost of $25,615. Another lease that won approval was for the Research and Training Center of Traditionally Underserved Persons Who Are Deaf (R&T Center).

The R&T Center is currently located in Adams Hall, but plans were approved to move to a location in the University City shopping center on Lincoln Highway. A $3.3 million grant to cover the costs involved was received by the university to be distributed over a five-year period.

The center is expected to become fully operational this year, and the lease amount will be $41,625 annually with renovations estimated to cost about $80,000.

Other property purchases approved by the Regents include the proposed site for the Hoffman Estates Center and a parcel on the west side of DeKalb currently occupied by the Floor-to- Ceiling Store.

The land, known as the Dyre property, will cost NIU $535,000 with the projected cost of remodeling to be about $800,000. The expected annual cost of the contract for deed will be about $186,000 with an annual operating and maintenance cost of $109,000.

NIU has proposed the remodeled facility will house the NIU administrative services such as printing services, payroll, insurance and personnel.

The board approved the plan and has allocated $1,335,000 for the purchase of the property including the cost of remodeling.