Minutes From Campus Center Committee Meeting May 8.

Those present: Tom Crady, Bob Cadmus, Michael Sims, Linda Price, Dixie Hansen, Joseph Oppong, Katie Mears, Eli Zigas, Barb Trish, Mark Godar, Dick Williams and Brian Turner.

Tom spoke about the campus center building project being over budget. The overage is 4 million. Neumann Brothers and Cesar-Pelli need to bring the project budget in line. At this point they can't reconcile these costs. Trustees have given a directive to stay on budget. The architects are developing a list of expenses to cut. The architects want to eliminate the third floor. The committee feels this isn't an option. Tom is looking at cosmetic changes such as changing stone in various areas, using a different floor covering, etc. Tom asked the construction firm to make recommendations for cutting costs. Some suggestions that were made included reducing the size of the building, eliminating the multi-purpose room, move the catering kitchen to the lower level, eliminate the game room and make the dining hall smaller. It was also suggested to eliminate space in all the stacked floors to reduce the size. The new campus center is three times the size of the Forum. It might be possible to shrink the entire building . Another idea was to move some of the offices, the game room and post office, to the basement as it's cheaper to build on the lower level than it is to build up. Do we need the intermediate space of the multi-purpose room? Would it be feasible to enlarge south lounge in the Forum and eliminate the multi-purpose room? Could we buy stone closer to the construction site to reduce cost? Could the multi-purpose room be added at a later date? Could the ceiling in the grill be lowered? Are three outside terraces needed? Could the craft workshop be eliminated and moved to another on-campus site? Could the multi-purpose room be moved to the dining area and serve a dual purpose? If the multi-purpose room is cut, will the concept of a meeting room for larger groups be gone? This could be thought of as a revenue generating issue as outside groups may not come to campus for meetings, etc. because there's a lack of space. These are questions that were raised by the committee.

By the end of next week, we should have ideas of what could be eliminated. The architects will price these out. Our job as the Campus Center Committee will be to prioritize these cuts. Tom will talk with Russell about the future of south lounge. Mark hopes cuts can be made without bringing various issues to the Campus Center Committee. It's hoped logic will prevail.