Falling on the heels of recent campus wide budget cuts and layoffs comes new plans for improvements to infrastructure at the University of Massachusetts.
At a joint meeting of the Amherst town Planning and Select Boards and University officials last week, the fate of a number of slated projects were discussed in terms of necessity and available funds.
Listed among the plans are a lab for civil and chemical engineering majors that is already in progress on the north end of campus at the price tag of 25 million dollars. The project is nearing completion in the year 2004 and by all accounts will progress as planned. The 60,000 square foot three story building has been in the planning stages for nearly fifteen years and is currently being built by the Fontaine Brothers.
Another project currently under consideration is a 43 million dollar science hall for chemistry and life science students north of where Skinner Hall currently rests. The project is considered a top priority and already has a portion of the necessary funding in place
A 10.8 million nursing building is also being considered as well as the possibility for a new hotel and conference center across from the Mullins Center. Plans for these projects are still being discussed.
The University also proposed in 1995, the possibility of changing the heating system from the current coal driven heat to that of oil and natural gas. The University Building Authority is currently funding the 63 million dollar project and completion date for the task is tentatively set for 2005.
The University did build a new plant that could heat the University with coal heat in the 1970’s but due to problems related to the building it was useless.
The University did put on hold proposed updates to Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium that would allow the UMass football team to move from their current Division 1-AA to Division 1-A the highest echelon of college football. The upgrade could cost in the neighborhood of 100 million dollars to make the changes necessary.
The proposed measure was met with a great deal of controversy in November of 1999 when the issue first hit considerable opposition by the Faculty Senate. The University had chosen to hire a consultant at that time to determine whether or not the move to division 1-A was academically or athletically feasible.
Then Chancellor David K. Scott expressed concern about the division move explaining that it could only be done if it benefited students both academically and athletically.
“If UMass does this, it must be part of a bigger package, students must soar academically and athletically,” Scott said at the meeting. “It will be a decision on the whole future and nature of our sports program.”
The issue of funding came up again at a faculty senate in November of 2001 in which the issue of general cuts to the athletic department remained a major issue.
Although the possibility for Division 1-A is still on the table pending both funding and the increased standards surrounding the teams, the measure remains postponed indefinitely.
Information from the Daily Hampshire Gazette was used in this story.
