Wednesday, April 26, 2000
NKU plan envisions upgrade of campus
Cost and timing to be determined
By Ben L. Kaufman
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — New buildings, rerouted traffic and an attempt to make a concrete campus more inviting are the heart of an updated master plan proposed Tuesday for Northern Kentucky University.
Vice President Mike Baker said NKU wants to erect a new student union, more student housing, a conference center and an alumni/faculty/staff center.
New academic buildings and expansion of existing structures also are envisaged.
“It helps shape our future,” said Mr. Baker, vice president for finance, who started at the university as a student in 1970. “It gives us a vision of what we want to be from a facilities standpoint. It allows us to work toward achieving what we want to be.”
The proposal, which updates the 1987 master plan, includes:
ãIncreased green space to create a parklike environment where pavement and
bare concrete dominate the campus. This would include gateways with trees and landscaping, an outdoor recreation center and other gathering spots. Parking is to be screened by landscaping.
ãRoad changes to make it easier to walk on campus by limiting traffic.
ãA 180,000-square-foot special-events center next to Regents Hall that would be home to Norse indoor athletic teams. The center would seat 6,500 to 7,000, compared with the 2,000 capacity for Regents Hall.
ãNew baseball and soccer fields, new tennis courts, a soccer stadium and an ice skating facility.
Mr. Baker said he spent much of Tuesday in meetings with the university community and the residents of the surrounding area, explaining the plan and getting feedback.
With that insight, the university will reconvene its master planning committee with NBBJ, the architectural and engineering firm involved, fine tune it and take it to the board of regents for approval, Mr. Baker said. At that point, the university will put together cost figures and decide on the phasing-in of the projects, working with the state Council on Post-Secondary Education and the legislature.
“It's a framework for the next 30 years,” he said. “You revisit that every 10 or so years. Some are more immediate, others longer term.”
Some plans, such as the greening of the campus, can be handled relatively quickly through the university's internal budget and private fund-raising, Mr. Baker said.
The more pressing capital projects are the regional special events center and student union, he said.
The university is conducting a feasibility study on the special events center and hopes to put it in line for capital funding in the state's 2002 budget, Mr. Baker said.
Some of the projects will require acquisition of nearby resi dential property, Mr. Baker said, and questions about that were central in the meetings with the community.
“The master plan is consistent with the 1992 land acquisition plan that the university adopted,” he said. “While it impacts some neighbors, it doesn't impact any neighbors who weren't alerted in 1992.”
Part of the impetus for the plans is a projected continuation of enrollment growth, Mr. Baker said.
Enrollment is just under 12,000, and is expected to grow to 12,900 in four years and to 14,000 in 10 years.
Ohio's motto must go, court decides
RADEL: Key point: Elian's just a little boy
Study reveals 'juvenile injustice'
Auditor: Medicaid billed for services after death
11-year-old accused of new crime
Hustler site plan OK'd in Monroe
Light rail plan would depend on taxpayers in Ohio and Ky.
Mill Creek stream of contrasts
New study predicts city surplus
Boy on bicycle collides with bus
CPS to announce teacher cuts today
NKU plan envisions upgrade of campus
Trial in 'Petey' slaying opens
Voters get tired of excuses
Channel 5 adds a woman anchor
Churches use pagers to relay prayers
KIESEWETTER: May sweeps away big TV names
Two area filmmakers due here for seminar
Dio's just a great metal rocker
Get to it
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
TRISTATE DIGEST
AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH
Chief ending 30-year career
Contractor needs a time extension
Cutbacks ahead in Lakota schools
Firm gets tax break to open Warren plant
Jury flips coin to decide murder verdict
Kids cautioned on gun safety
Lebanon to rethink trees rule
Legion officials sentenced
Lunken commuter line debated
Mayor asks court to nullify budget
Mayor for recreation fund boost
Public input on police lacking
Tormenters ordered to pay $6M
Township moves toward naming new park after VOA
