The University of New Hampshire has begun work on its new master plan.
It's expected to be a lengthy process that could change the look of the Durham campus.
Correspondent Roger Wood attended the first public forum on the project.
And he files this report.
The forum in the University Memorial Union Building lasted nearly two hours.
Planning Consultant Kevin King, with a Baltimore based firm presented four major objectives.
Efficiently plan for growth; improve the look and feel of the campus; attract faculty and students; and raise University hopes and financial support.
He said goals all are equally important.
(SOT King) :12
"It's really more of a balanced approach to all of these. We see it as an inner graded holistic view of how to tie all of these various concerns and issues together. It's not really an issue of one taking priority over the other."
Specifically, the plan will look at future needs for facilities and infrastructure improvements.
It will also address land and streetscaping, and partnering with the town of Durham.
Douglas Bencks, Director of campus planning, calls the update a valuable tool because it allows the University to look 20 years into the future.
(SOT Bencks) :10
"It is also part of a mandate from the University Board of Trustees, for us to have that kind of planning behind our documentation."
During the public forum, some students complained of high housing costs.
Others mentioned cramped dorms.
Both are on the Master Plan agenda.
One staff member, described the Campus parking situation as a real mess.
And student, Kate Ludvig who lives in Dover, told planners the University needs a new Creative Arts Center.
(SOT Ludvig) :10
"The Paul Creative Arts Center really needs to be rebuilt, as soon as possible, simply because there's too many competing schools in the area that already have them, who don't have the faculty and staff that we have. .
Replacing the Paul Creative Arts Center is a part of the present master plan.
The project just hasn?t been tackled yet.
Campus planner Douglas Bencks said a lot of projects make the master plan, but are never completed.
(SOT Bencks) ::20
"That's right, but it's trying to understand in terms of what people have as a need, and also as a vision for where they want the University to be going. And for this to be something that we have in place so that as we do incremental projects, we can have an informed way of being able to move forward with those individual projects:"
Planning consultants working with the Master Plan Steering Committee expect to hold a series of workshops.
They want to include all involved groups in the University Community, including the Town of Durham.
They hope to have a plan ready for the Board of Trustees in October of next year.
For NHPR News, this is Roger Wood at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.
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