Daily Lobo new mexico
The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895
monday April 27, 2015 | Volume 119 | Issue 148
UNMH Grill relocates due to rent dispute pursues remedy for aging facilities By Sayyed Shah
UNM is again planning to pursue a state-of-the-art replacement facility for the overcrowded University hospital after the plan was rejected by the State Board of Finance in 2012. The decision was made public earlier this month by UNM Chancellor for Health Sciences Paul Roth during a board of directors meeting, according to the Albuquerque Journal. The main building is aging and the flagship hospital is unable to meet the demands of the increasing number of patients, he said. “Right now we are in the planning process that includes evaluation of a replacement facility toward the main UNM hospital,” said Dr. Michael Richards, executive physician-in-chief of the UNM Health System. “This is still in the planning stages.” UNM officials are considering the possibilities of when and where to construct the new hospital, he said. “One of the problems that we are evaluating is that we will need a replacement hospital for the main UNM adult facility,” Richards said. “Much of that facility was built in the 1950s, and current health care facilities in hospitals require a different kind of space.” In 2012 UHSC proposed a 96bed hospital wing with a projected cost of $146 million, according to HSC documents. UNMH officials said the hospital suffered from aged pipes and HVAC units, narrow halls, low floor-to-ceiling height, small rooms, inadequate physician and nurse space, obstacles in hallways, inadequate electrical systems, infection risks, noise issues, transport issues and system failures, according to the documents. The document expressed other issues, and said the building had “ … no backup facilities, no surge capacity, no capacity to renovate a unit, very little capability to repair a unit, no capacity in the event of a major incident, no capacity to manage Level 1 Trauma, stroke, cardiac or cancer if the Main Operating Room is compromised.” However, the proposal had its detractors. In a letter to UNM President Bob Frank, then-Bernalillo County Commissioner Art De La Cruz objected that the new project did not go through public scrutiny and that there was a need of more debate on the issue, according to an Albuquerque Journal report. The proposal was approved by the UNM Hospitals Board of Trustees, HSC Board and UNM Board of Regents in 2012. However, UNMH could not get approval from the State Board of Finance. Richards said UNMH is in dire need of a new hospital because of
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Aaron Anglin / Daily Lobo
Pedestrians pass by the University Grill on Sunday afternoon. University Grill moved to a new location on 120 Harvard SE. The local restaurant had been located on Central Avenue, but a disagreement with the landlord caused University Grill owner Paul Kress to relocate the business two months after it opened.
By Liam Cary-Eaves, Thomas Romero-Salas and Aaron Anglin Less than two months after opening, University Grill will be moving to a brand new location. The previous location, at 1606 Central Ave. SE, did not work out
for restaurant owner Paul Kress, who said his landlord, David Souls, was charging him for the utilities of the other businesses housed in the complex where the University Grill used to be. After engaging in several conversations, Kress said the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement,
and required legal assistance. Kress said he has since pressed charges against Souls and has moved his business to 120 Harvard SE. “Everyone said I was crazy for moving. My friends said I was crazy,” Kress said. “My attorneys said I made the right decision.” In a phone interview, Souls
said he rents out other buildings across the city and in Rio Rancho. He also hinted at a larger story behind Kress’ move, but would not elaborate. “It has to do with unpaid rent,” Souls said. “Since there is going to
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Game café the first of its kind in NM Empire offers affordable board game experience, including tutorials By Imani Lambert
Moriah Carty / Daily Lobo / @MoriahCarty
A group of local gamers who call themselves Game Night Every Night play Russian Railroads at Empire Board Library on the store’s opening night Friday. The cafe is the first of its kind in New Mexico.
The Empire Board Game Library celebrated its grand opening on Friday after a successful soft opening two weeks ago. The board game café is the first of its kind in New Mexico. Rory Veronda, the owner of Empire Board Game Library, said he was influenced by board game cafés in Europe and Canada. The Empire Board Game Library contains more than 600 games, including iconic games like Monopoly and Risk as well as the various themed boards. “The idea is that we want to build a board game community and build a collection,” he said. Veronda said the café owns games that may be seen by some customers as unapproachable; however, for only $3 an hour, customers have access to hundreds of games. “I wanted a place where you could come in a have exposure to these games, learn them and get a game on the table,” he said. “So, you can come in here to play Dead
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Games page 5