Headlines
As reported by The Hartford Courant, February 4, 2004.
UConn Eyes Heublein Building
By William Hathaway
The University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington wants to purchase the nearby Heublein building as part of its plan to expand medical services on its hilly campus.
The health center's board of directors Monday authorized staff to pursue the purchase, for $12.1 million, of the 110,000-square-foot office building at 16 Munson Road, which is across Farmington Avenue from the health center campus.
The office building, formerly headquarters of Heublein Inc., would house some administrative personnel from the health center buildings and administrative staff working in leased space on Farmington Avenue.
The purchase would allow the health center to convert the administrative service building on its campus to clinical care, officials say. In addition, the health center is constructing a 99,000-square-foot building on the lower level of the campus that will be dedicated to patient care.
"We are so tight for space we don't have room to move people around to refurbish other areas," said Jim Walter, a spokesman for the health center.
The moves are necessary to accommodate the growth of a variety of health care programs, he said.
The Heublein building has been owned since 1999 by Michael Konover, chairman and chief executive of Farmington-based real estate company Konover & Associates Inc., which has offices there, Walter said.
Representatives of the company could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
UConn would assume an $11.4 million mortgage as part of the proposed deal.
Walter said UConn staff members hope a deal can be concluded within six weeks.
"It's a good option for us," he said.