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PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
Winslow Hall Conference Room
Chairman Dick Bernhard called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m. The following members attended the meeting: Aram Attarian, Andrew Barnes, Jon Barnwell, Ronald Baynes, Dick Bernhard, Gene Bressler, Karen Ciccone, Barry Croom, Frank Edens, Ahmed El Saghir, Garden Freeman, Trevor Little, Charley Pennell, Steve Ratzlaff, and Ed Sekmistrz.
EX-OFFICO: Tom Kendig and Tom Skolnicki
GUESTS: Angkana Boyd, Facilities Division Design and Construction Services
WELCOME: Dick Bernhard welcomed the committee members and guest and asked the guest to introduce herself.
OLD BUSINESS:
Dick Bernhard called for a motion to approve the minutes for the February 4, 2010 meeting, the March 4, 2010 meeting, and the April 8, 2010 meeting. The motion was made and seconded and the minutes for the past three meetings were approved.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS:
CAMPUS PLANNING AND DESIGN AND RESOURCE AND CONSERVATION SUBCOMMITTEE:
Dick Bernhard called for a vote to approve JW Isenhour Tennis Outdoor Complex Expansion project that had been presented at the April 8 meeting. He reminded the members that although a quorum was not present at the April 8 meeting, the members who were present voted unanimously for approval. A vote was taken and the project was unanimously approved.
Dick Bernhard asked Garden Freeman to provide the subcommittee report, Freeman said that the subcommittee reviewed Derr Track project and recommended approval. He asked Tom Skolnicki to give an overview. Using a rendering of the site, Skolnicki showed that the project will include a toilet building, a team meeting building, a batting cage building, and will convert an existing building into an open storage building. It will create two new pedestrian gates into Derr Track – one on Cates Avenue near the toilet building and one on the south side of the facility.
Angkana Bode addressed the six concerns raised by the subcommittee:
- Soften the look of the new batting cage, which will be four feet higher than the existing building. Bode said that planting more trees will soften the look.
- Add a curb to the storage building to protect Rocky Branch in case of a fuel spill. Too high a curb (two-four inches) would collect rainwater. Freeman said that a one inch curb would work well and allow landscape vehicles access.
- Reduce the scale of the south gate. The redesigned gate will be only seven to eight feet high.
- Study ways to collect roof rain water to supplement the primary irrigation water source. Bode said it is not economically viable for such a small amount of water. Ronald Baynes said water storage should be done since we are an educational institution.
- Add shade trees along Cates Avenue. Elm trees will be added.
- Preserve the trees east of the grandstand. Skolnicki thought that some clearing had already taken place during the previous construction work to provide adequate site lines for the fans. He said that he and Bode would study the matter further.
Bernhard called for a vote with the stipulation that committee’s concern about the trees be reviewed. A vote was taken and the project was unanimously approved.
(Tom Skolnicki, Angkana Bode, and Diane Moose met at Derr Track on May 10 to discuss the trees on the east side of the grandstand. Following that meeting, Skolnicki wrote the following to which Bode and Moose agreed. “Thanks everyone for meeting and working out a solution to the issue. As discussed, the most mature row of trees at the top of slope will remain undisturbed to protect the trees. The understory trees further south on the slope may be removed to reshape and smooth out the slope to plant lawn/sod for seating and to balance out the seating area with respect to center field. Consider adding back a few trees that don't interrupt the sight lines to the eastern goal/track to provide some shade for the lawn seating. I recommend loblolly pine since they self prune their lower limbs as they age (so sight line interruptions are minimized), and when spaced moderately they allow lawn to grow underneath. They are also fairly inexpensive for a tree large enough to avoid immediate sight line conflict.”)ill consider renovations to Derr Track at their April 22 meeting.
CAMPUS PARKING & TRANSPORTATION SUBCOMMITTEE:
Dick Bernhard asked Tom Kendig to provide the subcommittee report. Kendig said that the subcommittee did not meet since they had no agenda items to consider. He added that everything is running well. The West Lot parking deck construction project came in under budget at $3.5 million less than planned. That will allow project scope to increase.
NEW BUSINESS
Garden Freeman told the committee about a few planned utility shutdowns in May to allow for repair.
Since there was no other new business, the committee adjourned at 4:12 p.m.
The next meeting of the PEC is scheduled for September 2, 2010 in Winslow Hall Conference Room.