University Senate offers
'wish list' to campus planners
Representatives of the Baltimore architectural firm Ayers/Saint/Gross came
to the Jan. 28 University Senate meeting hoping for substantial input on
what the firm needs to consider in the campus master planning process it
has recently begun. The Senate's eight standing committees gave them plenty
of suggestions.
From information kiosks and bicycle paths, to wider sidewalks and better-constructed
loading docks, the Senate committees gave Ayers/Saint/ Gross a long list
of issues to consider in their planning process, which should be completed
in early 1998. Among their suggestions:
·
Athletic Policy Committee Chair Steve Batterson said the University is in
urgent need of a women's softball field to comply with federal Title IX
laws regarding equal sports programs and facilities for men and women. Adding
women's softball would balance the number of men's and women's sports offered,
but a site must be identified to construct a field, Batterson said. Additional
tennis courts and more outdoor fields are needed also, he said.
·
Campus Life Committee Chair Judy Raggi Moore advocated the installation
of information kiosks around campus to address campus communication needs
regarding special events. Kiosks, she said, would help alleviate pollution
from taping paper flyers to sidewalks and plazas.
·
Environmental Policy Committee Chair Bill Buzbee stressed the importance
of preserving "vanishing campus green space," looking more closely
at underutilized and underbuilt spaces as sites for new buildings, making
the campus more friendly for walkers and bicyclists, and considering building
near or over existing railroad tracks and in the area of the fraternity
houses.
·
Library Policy Committee Chair Steve Kraftchick urged the planners to help
librarians think about what the library of 20 years into the future will
look like, considering the increasing importance of electronic access to
library materials. He also cited a need for more study/reflection space
for students and for the renovation of Candler Library, which he described
as being "consistently neglected."
·
Safety and Security Committee Chair Tommy Cutts asked the planners to focus
on the issues of wider sidewalks, building a pedestrian bridge over Clifton
Road in the law school area, employing a fire marshal and establishing an
emergency/disaster campus evacuation plan.
·
Traffic and Parking Committee Member John Magnotta cited a host of considerations
for planners, including planning for shuttle and van pool pull-off areas
in parking decks and on streets, planning for bicycle racks in new building
design, building the infrastructure to support a MARTA rail station, installing
charging units for electric vehicles in parking decks, and planning for
trams and moving sidewalks.
Following the committee reports, Adam Gross of Ayers/Saint/Gross told Senate
members, "It is very encouraging for us to hear that your requests
are in much the same spirit as other information that we've gathered on
campus. We've also learned many new things here today, and we will keep
in touch with you."
-Dan Treadaway
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