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[[underline]] Status Reports on Construction [[/underline]]

[[underline]] West Court Facility--National Museum of Natural History [[/underline]]

The Secretary recalled that at their meetings of May 14, 1974 and September 24, 1974, the Board of Regents approved the proposal to proceed with construction improvements in the West Court of the Natural History Building. These improvements are designed principally to provide public, staff and Associates' dining rooms, a student tour orientation center, and additional areas for a new museum shop and future federally-funded office and training quarters. The three-story, 27,280 square-foot facility is scheduled for opening in the west courtyard of the Natural History Building on June 1, 1976.

Marriott Corporation contract work will be completed on May 15, 1976; overall basic systems are approximately 85% complete, with structural, electrical and mechanical systems nearly finished. The remaining work, which includes necessary floor, ceiling, wall finishes, and installation of furnishing is progressing on schedule. Total construction costs under the Marriott contract, including food service decorations, will not exceed $2.58 million; together with other costs outside the scope of the construction contract, the total cost of the facility to Smithsonian is not expected to exceed the budget of $3.0 million.