Regents award SWT food contract to Chartwells

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS — Chartwells has been awarded a 10-year contract to provide food service at Southwest Texas State University.

Regents of the Texas State University System voted to award the contract to Chartwells during their regular meeting Friday, Feb. 20, in Huntsville on the campus of Sam Houston State University.

Chartwells is the current food service provider at SWT. The company acquired Professional Food Service Management (PFM) in 1997. PFM had been SWT’s food service provider since the mid 1970s.

The agreement calls for a minimum commission to the university of $2.9 million over the course of the contract. It stipulates that dining facilities be upgraded, meal plans be improved and national brand franchises be offered in cash dining facilities on the university campus.

SWT received three bids for the food service contract. The bids were ranked in the areas of meal plan proposals, cash dining operations and catering. Chartwells was ranked highest in all three areas by a committee composed of university students and staff.

In other action, the regents authorized the university to change its shuttle bus service provider.

The board voted to cancel SWT’s contract with Durham Transportation effective Aug. 8. The university and Durham agreed to cancellation of the contract because the natural gas engines used in Durham’s buses were not powerful enough to negotiate the hills on the SWT campus.

Regents then voted to award a contract for shuttle bus service at SWT to Argenbright Inc. of Atlanta. The nine-year contract calls for Argenbright to operate 22 buses instead of the current number of 19. University officials say increasing the fleet size will reduce overcrowding.

The Argenbright contract will be effective Aug. 8. Shuttle bus fees paid by students are not expected to change if the current hours of service continue.

The board also took the next step in preparing for a major construction project at SWT. Regents allowed the university to apply to the Texas Bond Review Board for authorization to issue Higher Education Assistance Fund bonds totalling more than $26 million to be used for construction of an Art/Technology/Physics Complex.

In December, the board approved preliminary plans for the 238,000-square-foot complex. The proposed construction project represents years of planning on the part of university officials and representatives of the region’s high-tech industries. When complete, it will house a state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication lab, one of only a few in the nation designed for use by undergraduate students, as well as graduate students and researchers.

The first phase of construction may be ready for bids by May.

In other SWT related action, the board:

• Authorized the university to take bids and authorized the chair of the board of regents and the chair of the local committee to award a contract not to exceed $250,000 for a pipeline and a pump station to transport water from Spring Lake to the East Chill Plant. Using some of its water rights to Spring Lake will allow the university to reduce pumping from the Edwards Aquifer.

• Increased SB 1907 Designated Tuition, formerly known as the general use fee, from $26 per semester credit hour to $30 per semester credit hour. A public hearing on the increase was held Jan. 29, and university officials had additional consultations with the Associated Student Government and other student leaders about the increase.

• Increased the recreational sports fee from $38 to $41 to meet higher costs of operation and to build a reserve to maintain facilities and equipment. Increases in the recreational sports fee up to 10 percent are permissible by law without a student referendum.

• Increased the library fee from $2 to $3 per semester credit hour to increase holdings and improve electronic and technological capabilities at the library.

• Authorized the univesity to take bids and issue purchase orders not to exceed $1.35 million to upgrade computer systems and microcomputer labs.

• Adopted a resolution honoring James Lloyd Rogers, distinguished professor emeritus of SWT, for his many outstanding conrtibutions to the university and to higher education.

• Acknowledged gifts to the university of $5,000 or more.

-- The Houston Endowment completed its pledge of $1 million to establish the Jesse H. Jones Chair in Geographic Education with a second gift of $500,000.
-- The William Randolph Hearst Foundation donated $50,000 to increase its scholarship endowment to $100,000.
-- The Strahan Foundation contributed $50,000 to the T Association endowment fund. The gift brings the endowment to $100,000.
-- Anheuser-Busch gave another $25,000 in support of the Tomás Rivera Book Award fund.
-- The Rockwell Fund donated $25,000 for the Honors Math Program endowment. The endowment currently stands at $125,000.
-- The Hobby Family Foundation contributed $20,000 to purchase media equipment for the English Department.
-- The Lower Colorado River Authority gave $17,221 for lighting at the SWT baseball field.
-- Dr. and Mrs. Robert Northcutt gave $15,000 to increase the Northcutt Endowed Scholarship fund to $25,000.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Jack E. Shrader donated $15,000 for the Jack Shrader Endowed Scholarship fund, bringing its total to $54,000.
-- An anonymous donor gave $10,000 to the Department of Social Work.
-- The Azadoutioun Foundation gave $10,000 to purchase materials for the Southwestern Writers Collection.
-- O.C. Haley contributed $10,000 for the Strutters Endowed Scholarship fund.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Walter Richter gave $10,000 to increase the Walter and Dorothy Jean Richter Scholarship Endowment in Social Work.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Craig Vittitoe gave $10,000 to increase the Craig and Gail Vittitoe Scholarship fund.
-- The Texas Chapter of the American Foundrymen’s Society donated $10,000 to increase its endowed scholarship fund in the Department of Technology.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Larry F. Wright gave $8,000 to the SWT Development Foundation for the Chemistry Department, the Air Force ROTC program and for Alumni Association membership.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Monical gave $7,500 in support of the SWT Annual Fund campaign.
-- Irene Abernathy gave $5,000 to the Elton Abernathy Scholarship endowments.
-- Dr. and Mrs. John Prescott gave $5,000 to increase the Smith/Willms Science Award Fund endowment.
-- Mr. and Mrs. Terry Westbrook gave an additional $5,000 in support of the SWT Centennial Campaign.
-- Neill Strickland gave a $5,000 U.S. Savings Bond to the Development Foundation in support of the Centennial Campaign.
-- The 3M Co. gave laser printer samples and ID packs valued at $22,504 for use by offices and departments of the university.
-- Granary Music Co. donated a recording console valued at $14,000 to be used in the SWT Sound Recording Technology Program.
• Appointed the following to the SWT Development Foundation:
-- Chris Adler, a 1961 graduate of SWT and vice president and co-owner of Atlas Iron and Metals in Corpus Christi.
-- Danny Butler, president of Norwest Bank in San Marcos.
-- Daniel Davila, a 1979 graduate of SWT and president of Venderslice and Davila, Certified Public Accountants of Austin.
-- Don Flores, a 1973 graduate of SWT and publisher and editor of the El Paso Times.
-- William Hobson, a 1964 graduate of SWT and senior vice president of investment for Paine Webber in Houston.
-- Bonnie Tilton, a 1956 graduate of SWT and a member of the board of directors of the Marbridge Ranch Project in Austin.
• Authorized a purchase order of $297,500 to Heggen Electric Co. for electrical upgrades at Brogdon and Beretta halls.
• Authorized a purchase order of $285,705 to Barecky Construction Co. for painting and remodeling of Falls Hall.
• Employed the architectural firm of Jeff Kester and Associates of San Marcos to design the renovation of the Glade Theatre at a fee of 8 percent with the total project cost not to exceed $178,000.
• Authorized a change order to Boyer Co. of $144,500 for replacing chill water lines serving Blanco Hall.
• Authorized a purchase order of $134,400 to Easley Roofing and Sheetmetal for reroofing the Tower residence hall.
• Changed the name of the master of science in health professions with a major in health professions-health care administration to a master of healthcare administration with a major in healthcare administration.
• Authorized the university to invest in the Lone Star Investment Pool. The pool is operated by the Texas Association of School Boards for public school districts, institutions of higher education and other government agencies.
• Named Norwest Bank the university’s depository bank for the period of March 1, 1998, through Feb. 28, 2002.
• Authorized the university to award a four-year contract to Nations Bank for two automatic teller machines in the new LBJ Student Center.
• Authorized a contract with Entex for natural gas supplies to the university.
• Changed the name of the Women’s Residence Tower to the Tower because the building now houses both men and women.
• Set room, board and apartment rental rates for the 1998 summer sessions, the 1998 fall semester, the 1999 spring semester and 1999 summer sessions.
• Received the annual report on out of country study.
• Approved routine curriculum changes, course fees, personnel matters and budget adjustments.

The Texas State University System includes Angelo State University in San Angelo, Lamar University-Beaumont, Lamar University Institute of Technology in Beaumont, Lamar University-Orange, Lamar University-Port Arthur, Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, SWT, Sul Ross State University in Alpine and Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College in Uvalde.
Members of the nine-member board are Craig H. Vittitoe of Harlingen, chair; Pollyanna A. Stephens of San Angelo, vice chair; John P. Hageman of Round Rock; Thomas M. Moeller of Beaumont; Elizabeth T. Nash of San Marcos; Nancy R. Neal of Lubbock; Floyd Nickerson of Abilene; Macedonio “Massey” Villarreal of Houston; and Ray Zapata of San Angelo. Chancellor Lamar Urbanovsky manages the system’s office in Austin.