The project director for the American Cancer Society's (ACS) proposed Hope Lodge said the ACS is willing to consider one of two alternative sites for the facility endorsed by the University Senate and its Committee on the Environment. The two alternative sites are: 1) near the original site, but upland and away from the tree line of that site; and 2) on the opposite side of Mason Transplant House closer to Clairmont Road.
Jean Moen, project director for Hope Lodge and recently retired senior vice president for divisional operations at ACS, said that while the ACS is willing to consider the first alternative site, the ACS board of directors has stated that it will not consider the second site closer to Clairmont Road, primarily because of concerns about the affects of noise. However, Moen said, ACS has made a commitment to Emory and wants to honor that commitment, if at all possible.
The ACS, Moen said, is concerned about environmental issues at Lullwater and is proposing to make environmental improvements, including building a retaining wall to stop soil erosion at the site and installing a filtering system to prevent oil and gasoline from vehicles parked at University Apartments from leaking into Candler Pond, located in Lullwater.
In addition, Moen said, ACS agreed early in the planning process to move the original Hope Lodge site to decrease the number of trees that would have to be removed.
Because most cancer patients from outside of Atlanta go to Emory facilities for treatment, Moen said, siting Hope Lodge at Emory is "preferable, but not an absolute necessity. This is an important issue because we have a strong relationship with Emory. [Siting Hope Lodge at Emory] is not life or death. But if I had my druthers, that's where I'd have it."
--Dan Treadaway