Research animals at NIU soon will have better living conditions.

Conrad Miller, physical plant project manager, said the animal holding facilities in Montgomery Hall and the Psychology Building will be renovated.

The Montgomery Hall renovation will begin this summer, with the Psychology Building project to begin following its completion, Miller said.

The budget for the Montgomery facility is $418,100 and the Psychology facility budget is $210,300, he said.

Miller said federal law requires the removal of any asbestos before construction can begin. The asbestos in Montgomery Hall currently is being removed, and an asbestos survey in the Psychology Building is in process, he said.

Although undisturbed asbestos is not a hazard, forcing the dust airborne by drilling or tearing apart tiles is dangerous, Miller said.

Marvin Starzyk, chairman of biological sciences, said the facility in Montgomery Hall is being remodeled to add space.

While the facility complies with government standards, the renovations will make things easier and cleaner, Starzyk said. Changes include incubators for chickens and special storage spaces for food.

The biological sciences facility is a “minimum facility,” holding chickens, frogs and rodents, he said.

Starzyk said the biological sciences department does not discuss the nature of animal experiments or security.

However, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee meetings are open to the public, he said.

Joseph Grush, chairman of the psychology department, said the animal holding facility in the psychology building will be renovated primarily for ventilation.

New exhaust fans will be installed so the air can be exchanged with the outside air more frequently, Grush said. The renovation also includes closing outlets.

Several thousand mice and rats are housed in the psychology building, Grush said. They are used for neuroscientific, audiology, learning behavior, and physiological research.

Grush said the renovation will be delayed until the Montgomery Hall facility is completed.

Miller said he is “optimistic” that the renovation in Montgomery Hall will be completed in the spring semester and the Psychology facility be completed by the end of next summer.