Oct 23, 2013 2 min read

The state System of Higher Education will spend as much as $650,000 to complete renovations to the aging residence of the president at California University of Pennsylvania, a building that has suffered termite damage and needs to have asbestos removed.

The system’s board of governors last week approved the expenditure, which is the standard amount authorized after a president leaves office and the residence becomes vacant during the search for a replacement, said system spokesman Kenn Marshall.

“We have no idea how much it will cost,” Marshall said, adding the cost of renovations could come in at a lower price.

The two-story brick residence attached to South Hall at Cal U. was built in 1876, university spokeswoman Christine Kindl said.

It has been vacant since May 2012 when former president Angelo Armenti Jr. left office. Interim President Geraldine Jones indicated she will relocate to the residence if she receives the appointment as Cal U. president, Kindl said.

The residence hasn’t undergone major renovations since 1930, state system records indicate. The last time minor renovations were completed there was in 1992.

Renovation money will be spent exclusively on the 4,629-square-foot residence, which needs a partial roof replacement. Its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are in need of repair, and the exterior brick needs to be repointed. The bathrooms and kitchen also need to be updated.

“It needs refreshing,” Kindl said.

The state system chancellor must approve the expenditures after consulting about the projects with the board of governors.