10/22/12

St. Lawrence University Trustees Accept Facilities Master Plan For Campus Development

CANTON - The St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees accepted a new Facilities Master Plan during its fall meeting on Saturday, October 20. The plan, which was developed with extensive input from the campus community, will guide the renewal, renovation and adaptation of the campus in the coming decades, aligning support and use for physical space needs with teaching, learning and campus life.

"The Facilities Master Plan is a guide for campus evolution," said St. Lawrence President William L. Fox. "It is not a detailed schematic of specific plans. Rather, it suggests direction. We will elect to follow that direction, or take detours, as times and circumstances develop, always seeking the destination of serving and supporting our students, faculty and alumni."

Student housing has been identified as a top priority, with the goal of adding space for about 150 beds by fall 2014. Master planning consultants Saratoga Associates and Beardsley Design Associates, working with a campus committee, have made recommendations for several locations for the new residence hall, focusing on sites closer to the center of campus that will promote and protect the "walking campus" and sense of community that are hallmarks of St. Lawrence.

Sacco & McKinney Architects, P.C., of Latham, N.Y., have been engaged and will work with the campus community to consider and evaluate the potential sites and design the new residence hall.

One location being considered is on the road and parking lot adjacent to the Quad, on its eastern perimeter across from the entrance to the Noble Center. A second possible site is on the road between the Quad and Dean-Eaton Residence Hall. If one of these sites is selected, the project would include reducing the pavement surrounding the Quad to add green space and enhance its landscaping.

The University also will work with the architects to ensure that the building fits the character of campus and that it maintains or enhances the views to landmark buildings surrounding the Quad.

A third site being considered is near Park Street, west of Hepburn Hall. The Facilities Master Plan also recommends this site as a potential location for a future academic building to be completed in a second phase.

The University plans to select a site and begin design for the residence hall by the end of the semester. Construction could begin as early as May 2013.

The University plans to "pay as we go," raising money from donors for projects in the Facilities Master Plan that cannot be completed with annual capital funds. Beginning a focused fundraising effort for the residence hall, the Class of 2013 has pledged its senior gift to support the construction, and two trustees said this weekend they plan to support the project with gifts of $1 million each.

The Facilities Master Plan supports and is aligned with the University's Strategic Map, approved by the Board of Trustees in 2011. All development outlined in the FMP will be planned in the context of the University's commitment to sustainability and in consultation with the campus community.

Facilities Master Plan online