August 30, 2002

To: Grinnell Community

From: Russell K. Osgood

Re: Facilities Update

From time to time I have circulated a short description of facilities plans and activity as I do in this memorandum. I welcome questions or comments. As I mentioned at the Faculty Meeting on Wednesday I am very grateful to our hardworking FM staff and our contractors for their excellent work on our behalf particularly as we welcomed a new group of students and faculty.

I. Chrystal Center

This project remains on schedule for completion in late September with a community open house and building opening occurring in early October.

II. Residence Halls

The construction of four planned residence halls along East Street is moving forward nicely. We continue to hope that three of them will be completed for the start of classes next fall semester.

III . Energy Center/Infrastructure Project

This elaborate project is moving forward well but a fair amount of campus work remains. The heating plant is nearing completion in time for the upcoming heating season. We have begun converting the current energy center (adjacent to the Science Center) into our cooling plant. You can get more detailed information on this project at http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/facilities/energycenter/.

IV. Campus Center Project

Cesar Pelli & Associates is developing a design proposal. CPA architects have visited the campus several times this summer, met with the on-campus committee and groups of students and others. The architects will make a presentation to the Board of Trustees at its October meeting. The latest design layout can currently be found at http://www.grinnell.edu/offices/facilities/campuscenter/. As proposed, this building will likely require the demolition of Darby Gymnasium sometime in 2004.

V. Phase II of the Noyce Science Center

In May the Board authorized the College to contract with Holabird & Root, the architect for Phase I of the Noyce Science Center, and Research Facilities Design, design consultants for Phase I of the Noyce Science Center, to develop a schematic design of Phase II of the Noyce Science Center Project. This design work is ongoing. The latest information about this project can be found: http://www.grinnell.edu/campusplan/science/.

VI. Library/Forum Planning

The design process of the proposed Campus Center resulted in the decision not to plan a new library adjacent to the Campus Center. The College is currently developing options for a library expansion and reuse of the Forum, which would include space for Information Technology Services. During this upcoming year, we hope to engage in wider discussion on campus and with the Board of Trustees regarding the most feasible alternative for meeting our library and technology needs.

VII. Athletic Facilities Planning

The Campus Plan adopted by the Trustees in 1999 recommended that we build a new athletic complex in phases, north of 10th Avenue. The College has costed out various alternatives for a phased construction of such a facility, to meet our needs, including a space for performance basketball/volleyball and large campus events (in view of the possible demolition of Darby), a better fitness facility, and more locker room space. The Board has not authorized the College to hire architects to design any athletic facility at this time.

VIII. Mears Cottage

The Dean is working with two departments and several faculty-directed programs to move to Mears and thus to make it an academic building. This exciting development will allow us to vacate interior offices in Carnegie and begin to redesign and reconfigure ARH and Carnegie to be more in tune with our teaching and faculty office needs. We are not sure when such a move would occur but hope that this can be accomplished before the beginning of the second semester.

IX. Parking

Several people have mentioned to me that they had heard that we are planning to build a parking lot on one or another site. We have no plans to build any additional parking lots at this time. We may expand by a few spaces the parking lots in front of the old FM building and in front of Mears but neither project would add a significant number of spaces. We have endeavored to clear out all existing parking lots in the last few weeks and actually will be fully back to normal when the parking lot behind the Chrystal Center is fully reinstated.