It’s still unknown when Hancher will be razed

IOWA CITY - University of Iowa officials still don't know when flood-damaged Hancher Auditorium might be razed.

The auditorium has been vacant since the June 2008 flood. Through Feb. 3 of this year, it cost $361,000 to heat and cool the building to keep it from molding and deteriorating beyond its flood damage. In addition, it has cost $278,000 to heat and cool the adjoining Voxman/Clapp facility during that time. Those costs are eligible for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Engineers are looking at alternative ways to keep the interior of the buildings from molding that are cheaper if the complex is not demolished in the coming months, Doug True, UI senior vice president for finance, said Thursday.

Demolition of the flood-damaged Hancher/Voxman/Clapp complex happens through a FEMA-led process, so UI officials aren't sure when the complex might come down, True said. The FEMA process requires a public hearing before Hancher can be razed.

“It's not going to come down right away,” True said. “The process is somewhat lengthy in terms of the decision to raze it.”

Hancher Auditorium will be replaced with a new facility north and west of the current site. Voxman and Clapp will be replaced with a new School of Music facility in downtown Iowa City.

Architects have been hired for the two projects, though it likely will be weeks or months before schematic design drawings are available, True said. It's his hope that he can update the state Board of Regents at the board's April meeting about a more detailed timeline for the two projects.

Officials are discussing fundraising for Hancher and the School of Music projects, along with other flood-recovery projects, but a public campaign won't start in earnest until designs and timelines are more fleshed out, Forrest Meyer, executive director for strategic communications with the UI Foundation, said.

A campus committee is working on plans for the fundraising campaign for the flood-damaged buildings, he said.

“It's still early in the process,” he said.