NORMAL_The Board of Regents agreed Thursday to allow NIU to seek bids for the replacement of the brick covering of the Holmes Student Center.

NIU President John LaTourette said the first part of seeking bids consists of preparing specifications to resurface the student center.

Consulting and seeking proposals for alternative design and materials is the next step NIU will have to conquer, LaTourette said.

“The objective is to find the most cost efficient solution to resurface the student center with a durable material,” he said.

The materials should resemble the surrounding buildings as well, because the aesthetics of the student center also are of concern, LaTourette said.

“We (NIU) want materials that make the building more attractive but are also cost effective,” he said.

If the “proper” materials and design are used, they should last about 50 years, said Donald Raths, principal engineer for Raths, Raths and Johnson Inc., Willowbrook, Ill.

LaTourette said seeking a bid would take about two months. He said the best time to start work on the building is in May, after graduation, to mid-June, before the summer session begins.

Regent Milton McClure said time and danger is connected with the student center and its repairs will be expensive.

LaTourette said falling bricks could endanger predestrians’ safety.

Safety precautions have been taken, such as putting up a nylon net to catch falling bricks and barricades around the student center which have been installed to protect people from loose bricks as well, Raths said.

The brick on the 18-story tower section and the west entrance to the north addition of the facility needs to be replaced, Raths said.

The estimated $923,000 to repair the facility might come from a bond entities reserve fund which could raise student fees, LaTourette said. Student fees are being reviewed and should go before the Regents at the March meeting, he said.