FACILITIES PLANNING COMMITTEE

 

MINUTES

 

March 22, 2007

 

 

Members Present:  Deb Fleeger; Curt Foltz; Steve Hoover; Jack Hubauer; Stephen Johnson; Mark Kilwein; Michael McConnell; Anesu Mutasa; Deb Sobina; Dave Tedjeske; Dave Tomeo; Lou Tripodi; Ron Wilshire

 

Others Present:  Joe Brinkley; Jim Conley; Rein Pold; Tim Fogarty

 

I.               Approval of Minutes – February 22, 2007

 

1.       A motion was made by Ron Wilshire and seconded by Mike McConnell to approve the minutes of February 22, 2007 as presented.  The motion passed.

 

II.         Old Business

 

1.  Venango Projects

 

·        Deb Sobina told the members that the ENS (Environmental News Service) permit and the NPEDS (National Pollution Elimination Discharge System) permit had been received from the Venango Conservation District.  The permit from DEP and the drawdown permit are still to be received.  It is hopeful to be to bid by May 1^st.

·        The expense of transporting sediment is significant and Rouseville Boro may be interested in the sediment for use in their brown field.

 

2.     Science Technology Center

 

·        Joe Brinkley reported that the initial job conference was held on Friday, March 16^th.

·        The contractor has fenced off the area and begun the removal of trees.  The branches from the trees will be ground into mulch for use on campus.  It was agreed that a statement should be issued about the removal of the trees and the reasoning behind it.

·        Topsoil from the area is being taken offsite to a Foundation owned property behind Clarion Builders.

·        Mike McConnell asked at the request of Susan Courson, that the fencing that is blocking off the handicap parking in the area be checked.  Joe Brinkley advised that that fencing had been corrected.

 

3.      New Dining Facility

 

·        Dave Tomeo reported that the new dining facility is presently in design.  He will be meeting with STV Architects in Douglassville, PA next Friday to look at furnishings for the facility.

·        The Gemmell Park and the road near Carrier will both need to be relocated.

·        Stephen Johnson questioned whether the new dining area is consistent with the present dining area.  Dave Tomeo advised that it is very similar.  There will be more seating than what was originally planned; approximately 544 seats.

    

4.      Faculty/Staff Lounge

 

·        Janet Knepper was not in attendance to update the committee, but Dave Tomeo said that she had met with Jeff Gauger.

·        Dave Tomeo suggested that Becht Hall could be a possible location and that steps could be taken to determine the type of service, the cost of that service, and how best Chartwells is able to re-coop the cost of the service.

 

5.      Parking

 

·        Dave Tedjeske advised that the Peirce lot was closed on Friday, March 16^th.  The Greenville lot is replacing needed parking and has had available open spaces throughout the day.  There have been some problems with students parking in the employee section (right side) of the Greenville lot and they have been directed to the Campbell lot.

·        Close access to Peirce for loading and unloading is currently a problem.  Dave Tedjeske stated that as an alternative answer, if called he has told individuals to park near the building and use their flashers and contact him if they receive a ticket.  He is not advertising or promoting this idea, but rather a temporary fix to the situation.  It was discussed whether the handicap parking could be used as a drop off area, but he stated that all handicap spaces would be in use.

·        Jim Conley noted that the lot directly in front of McEntire is frequently open and may be used to solve some parking issues.

·        Fall 2007 will bring many changes for parking due to the amount of construction going on at the university.  In the next couple of weeks, the parking committee will be sending out by way of the ALL-L list serve, a tentative plan to the university community for campus feedback.

·        With the demolition of Campbell Hall, the area from Payne Street to Lot 14 will be graded to accept parking.  200 spaces will be available in this area without the need to construct deck parking, which funding is not available for.  Once the RFP for Campbell is complete, an architect will be hired to design the parking so that a smooth transition can be made from the demo of Campbell to the construction of the parking area.

 

6.      On-Campus Residences

 

·        Dave Tomeo reported that the on-campus residences will be starting in July with a January 2009 opening.  There will be 361 beds in two buildings.

·        The surveyors are on campus today.  It was found that the daycare playground may be in the area of disturbance.

·        In response to a question raised by Jim Conley, Dave Tomeo said that the Berman sculpture on the grounds near Ralston will need to be relocated.

 

 

7.      Ralston Hall Offices

 

·        University Relations will be relocating to Ralston Hall.  A walk through was done of the building as well as consulting with Academic Enrichment for their comments or concerns.  It is hopeful that with the approval of Labor and Industry, the move can be completed by July.

 

The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.  The next Facilities Planning Committee will be held on April 26, 2007 at 3:00 p.m.