The meeting room smelled like coffee and Pine-Sol; fluorescent lights glowed overhead. From the other side of one wood-paneled wall came the shouts of hockey players and loud thumps as they tossed aside sticks and skates. Faculty members and local residents, plus a student or two, sat in rows of metal folding chairs and stared at the PowerPoint presentation being projected onto a screen at the front of the room, as words like “community” and “sustainability” poured from everyone’s mouths.

The gathering at Van Cleve Community Center was the last of four Master Plan forums held the week of Feb. 2. At each event, members of the Master Plan Committee presented the 2009 version of their comprehensive assessment of University of Minnesota development—what they predict will happen in the next five to ten years and what needs to be done. The forums were open to the public, including all university employees and students, and each session was held in a different location—West Bank, East Bank, the St. Paul campus, and off-campus in Como—to accommodate the wide variety of people directly or indirectly affected by the U’s development.

Each forum was hosted by University Vice President Kathleen O’Brien, co-chair of the Master Plan Steering Committee appointed by President Bruininks in 2006. The committee and the plan’s staff team are made up of representatives from various university divisions and organizations, from the Minnesota Student Association to the Weisman Art Museum. Architecture and planning experts Orlyn Miller and Monique MacKenzie presented the plan’s four sections—community connections, natural features and systems, movement and circulation, and public spaces and buildings—at each forum. Afterwards, O’Brien took questions from the audience.

The 2009 Master Plan is an update of a similar plan made in 1996. Both plans have 11 guiding principles, and 2009’s largely parallel those of 1996. One major update is the new emphasis on sustainability in both development and operations. Other guiding principles stressed at the forums include strengthening connections to adjacent communities and developing transportation systems that emphasize pedestrians, bicycles and mass transit.

The presentations put forth a lot of overarching themes for the future of the university. Nick Saumweber, a student present at the Van Cleve forum, said afterwards, “I wish it had been a little more clear in giving us specific examples instead of just the broad, general ideas.”

Some specific issues did arise, though, especially in the question-and-answer periods. One major concern is the light rail corridor that will run straight through campus. Five blocks of Washington Avenue will be closed to cars once the light rail is constructed, Orlyn Miller said. The Master Planners want to make detours around campus available for traffic passing through, to help relieve on-campus congestion. Much of the planning about the light rail, however, goes beyond the university and involves officials from the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and Hennepin and Ramsey Counties.

TCF Bank Stadium also creates transportation questions. Some parking issues may be solved by the plan of pairing season tickets with designated parking spots, to be assigned and issued as early as March. Shuttles to the stadium from the Metrodome and from state fair parking are also planned.

More generally regarding transportation, the Master Planners want to create better access for pedestrians and bikers. Their proposed hierarchy of movement places pedestrians first, followed by bikers, mass transit, and then cars. Specific plans include signs geared to each mode of transportation to help people find their way and showers for people who bike to campus.

“I would suggest that some of the problems we’ve had with crime and disinvestment have been caused by the transportation system of putting automobiles first,” O’Brien said.

Another major change that many forum attendees want to see soon is the relocation of the Bell Museum of Natural History to the St. Paul campus. Its proposed location is the corner of Cleveland and Larpenteur avenues. The plan was submitted to the legislature last session but was vetoed by Gov. Pawlenty; it was resubmitted this session.

One advantage of having the museum in St. Paul would be its proximity to the scientific and agricultural research on the campus there. As one audience member suggested, visitors to the Bell Museum, including school groups, could also explore the landscape that is open to the public. Part of being a top public research university—still one of the U’s major goals, according to the Master Plan—is sharing that research with the community.

Though the forums focused on the future, both presenters and audience members praised university officials for successes that have already been made. For example, the promotion of the U Pass—about 22,000 students have one—and trayless dining through University Dining Services are considered important steps in the right direction.

The Sarita wetland restoration was also mentioned several times as a major success for the U. The wetland, located on the St. Paul campus, is what remains of Lake Sarita, drained in the early 900s. The Sustainable Campus Initiative created in 2000 included the wetland as one of its projects, with goals of improving water quality and wildlife habitat. University students have been involved in planning the restoration through classes such as Water Quality and Landscape Architecture, and independent studies and master’s theses have involved the wetland.

The plan, with its long-term projections and consideration of the surrounding neighborhoods, is of particular interest to community members as well as those directly affiliated with the university. The mayor of Falcon Heights, Peter Lindstrom, was in attendance at the forum in St. Paul, and thanked the Master Plan creator for working with him and other town officials on specific issues, including a bike lane connecting Roseville and Falcon Heights.

The issue of university boundaries seemed especially important to the community members attending the forums. When O’Brien stated that the Master Planners don’t believe the U needs to acquire any more land right now, an audience member called out, “Can we get that in writing?”

Another commenter expressed concerns that the building of a new ambulatory clinic north of Fulton Street will lead the university to use eminent domain to seize and raze homes in the area. “That’s not the best neighborly conduct,” he said.

For the most part, however, audience members expressed gratitude for the opportunity to hear about the university’s plans and to be part of the decision making. One commenter suggested that the university might have been moved out of the city to a suburb like White Bear Lake or Minnetonka, and was glad it hasn’t: “I think the campus is a real asset to our communities.”

Despite the attendance and involvement of community members and university faculty and staff, one piece of the puzzle was conspicuously missing: the students. No more than four or five students attended each forum, despite the fact that an e-mail notification about the forums was sent to every Gophermail account.

Nick Saumweber and Andrea Bolks were the only two students at the Van Cleve forum not covering the event as journalists. Both suggested that students might be too busy to become involved in university developments.

“What student’s going to read a 92-page document in addition to everything else you have to do?” Saumweber said, referring to the full Master Plan posted online for public viewing.

Bolks thinks the university could make it easier for students to take part in planning. “I don’t think there’s that good of communication,” she said. “It’s hard to find a niche where the university wants your input.”

“There is a disconnect between students and the community,” Saumweber said. “You only get mad when something goes wrong.”

Tags: Weisman Art Museum