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Dear UVA Health Team Members,

Fontaine Research Park is undergoing an exciting and significant transformation with the development of the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, a state-of-the-art translational research facility that will pave the way for breakthroughs in science and medicine for decades to come. To support this expansion, a new parking garage and central utility plant also are part of the plan.

While the future of Fontaine is bright, it’s going to take construction and disruption to get there. Work is underway, and our team members already have been asked to make numerous adjustments to their routines to accommodate it. As the construction moves into new phases, we must ask even more of our team members in the coming weeks and months.

Whether you work at Fontaine full-time, part-time, or are an occasional visitor or patient, please take a moment to review the following information and timeline to prepare for major changes over the next three months. For the latest information on the Fontaine projects, visit the Facilities Management website.

April 30 at 4 p.m.
If you spend any time at Fontaine, you are encouraged to join an online town hall that will provide details about adjustments to parking, shuttle services, and the overall project timeline. Please note that the town hall is restricted to the first 1,000 participants. However, we will make a replay available afterwards. To join, please save this information to your calendar: Zoom | Passcode: 919791

May 6
Beginning May 6, the parking lot at 400 Ray C. Hunt Drive will close to accommodate construction of the new parking garage. Team members will be directed to park on the 500 side of the park.

May 28-July 31
During this timeframe, construction teams will be required to blast rock to effectively prepare the foundation for the buildings being constructed. Blasting is set to take place each day at approximately 12 p.m. and at 3:30 p.m. Horns will sound to notify those in the surrounding area that blasting is about to start and to signal when it has concluded.

In addition, pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the area will be stopped for the duration of each blasting period, which is expected to be approximately 10 minutes. For those inside Fontaine buildings, we are expecting minimal impact; however, out of an abundance of caution, all team members are advised not to stand at windows during the blasting periods.

The repurposing of land for the new projects and the heavy presence of construction and safety equipment will reduce significantly the availability of parking at Fontaine. University Parking and Transportation teams have worked quickly to identify solutions for both patients and team members.

At this time, we expect that all team members will need to park off-site during the two months of blasting, as additional existing lots will need to be closed. Remote parking options for team members will include:

• Parking at JPJ Arena Garage and taking a new UTS Direct Bus line (the Purple Line) to Fontaine.
• Parking at Hereford College and walking to the research park (~15 minutes). Approximately 200 spaces will be available at Hereford.
• Whether you choose JPJ Arena Garage or Hereford, your usual monthly U9 permit fees will be waived while team members are asked to park off-site.

U9 permit holders with ADA accommodations will continue parking at Fontaine during the blasting. Patient parking will continue as normal for the 500 side of the park. On the 400 side of the park, ALL patient and ADA parking will be served by valet. More information to come at the Fontaine town hall on April 30 and on the Fontaine Construction website. As part of their pre-visit communication, patients are being advised to allow extra time for parking.

Blasting is expected to last until the end of July but may be extended if the construction team experiences any weather or other delays. Once the blasting period has concluded, team members may return to parking on-site, as they did before blasting began. Our partners in Facilities Management and Parking and Transportation also are committed to hearing your feedback and making adjustments when possible to best accommodate team members and patients.

To stay up to date on Fontaine construction work, we encourage team members to make use of these resources:

• Construction website
• FAQs
• Monthly newsletter
• Email FontaineConstruction@virginia.edu with questions
• Attend or watch a recording of the April 30 town hall

On behalf of our leadership team, we would like to thank every team member who is making an accommodation to their workday during this time. We do not take your sacrifices for granted and will continue to do everything we can to minimize construction-related disruptions.

Thank you again for your hard work and patience. We will continue to communicate as our efforts transform Fontaine Research Park progress.

Sincerely,

Min Lee, MBA, MHA
Chief Operating Officer
UVA Health University Medical Center

Jeremy Sibiski, MBA, MHA
Chief Operating Officer
UVA School of Medicine