Campus Space and Facilities Committee

Meinecke Board Room – Memorial Union

Friday, December 1, 2006 – 3:00 pm

 

 

Members Present:     John Adams, Craig Schnell, Emili Carlson, Verlin Hinsz, Amy Uthus, Joe Latimer, Tim Singelmann, Kathleen Slobin, Cindy Urness, Dean Gross

 

Members Absent:      Kim Bromley, Marcelo Carena, David Rider

 

Ex-Officios Present:  Bruce Frantz, Ray Boyer

 

Others Present:         Michael Harwood, Gina Haugen

 

Chairperson, John Adams, called the meeting to order. Joe Latimer moved and Amy Uthus seconded that the minutes from the previous meeting be approved as written.

 

MAT Bus System

Mike Simonson, MAT bus system, attended the meeting to address and answer questions dealing with the bus and shuttle systems for the campus and the downtown campus buildings. He indicated that he had not been aware of the problems with the current Route 13 bus staying on time. Therefore, the route’s logs were reviewed, and there is, indeed, a problem. Although he stated that he was not making any excuses for the problem, he told the committee that there had been a change in management for driver services, so the new manager was unaware of the importance of staying on top of scheduling. MAT held a meeting the previous evening that was mandatory for drivers to attend. One of the items stressed was that the runs cannot be early from this point on, and he apologized to the university and the students, indicating that steps are being taken so that this issue won’t occur again.

 

Bruce Frantz stated that the routes have been on a reliable schedule and attributed that to the program’s success.

He said that he appreciated that Mike asked to attend the meeting in order to address the issues. He asked the committee if they had any other questions concerning MAT or the shuttle while Mike was there. Amy commented that she lives near one of the stops, and she’s noticed that the bus sometimes doesn’t stop at all (and she’s watched for eight-to-ten minutes before its scheduled arrival time.) This is a problem because she could be doing something with her time other than watching for the bus.

 

Joe stated that the College of Business has transportation concerns for its students attending classes in the downtown buildings. Mike indicated that the best step would be to add another bus to Route 13, with 13A, 13B, and 13C occurring every ten minutes. MAT cannot accommodate this with the busses that are currently running. Thus, they have ordered larger busses that contain two sets of doors in each unit. Riders will be able to enter through the front doors while those disembarking can exit through the rear doors. If this isn’t adequate, MAT can add more busses.

 

Amy asked if the downtown campus was a mandatory stop, and Mike indicated that it is. He noted that he would address this fact with the drivers at their meeting so that they are reminded that they are required to stop at the facility even if they don’t see riders waiting, because riders may just be inside the building for warmth or for security sake.   

 

VP Adams told the group that he recently moved here from UNC-Chapel Hill. The University there has had a fare-free city transit for the past ten years that was paid with federal, state, city, and a self-implemented student fee funding. The University also charged a ten-cent campus wide fee per pay period for the service. Mike replied that MAT had suggested a similar program for Fargo but the suggestion was rejected at a town-and-gown meeting. The idea was perceived as a for-profit venture, but the financial incentives would have come mostly from indirect sources such as underground parking, greyhound rent, advertising, etc. Times have changed, though, with developmentally, physically, mentally, etc. challenged people now being integrated into society. Senior citizens are also living in their own homes longer, and they would like to see a fare-free system in Fargo. The other three colleges in Fargo-Moorhead have a fare-free system for faculty, staff, and students, and he would like to see NDSU also go this route.

 

In the past, MAT met monthly with NDSU and its students to discuss issues as they arose. Mike indicated that it got to a point where things were going so smoothly that the committee decided not to meet monthly just for the sake of meeting. He wondered if these meetings shouldn’t be resumed again. Bruce felt that the meetings would be a good idea but that meeting either quarterly or at the beginning of each new semester would be sufficient. This would give the Student Government an opportunity to name a student representative to the committee.  Kathleen Slobin also felt that a committee would be beneficial because the new downtown buildings may present a different set of issues. Mike stated that he would work with Bruce to arrange something similar to what MAT and NDSU had in the past.

 

DOWNTOWN CAMPUS PARKING

Amy indicated that Mikes’s discussion answered many of her questions, but some remained concerning the Downtown Campus (former Northern School Supply Building.) Many of the students attending classes there drive downtown because of the inconsistent bus schedule. The students would like to see additional parking available for them near the building. There is currently a lot on NP Avenue, but the cost of parking at $3 per day is greater than a parking permit on campus. The students are wondering if NDSU could work with the City of Fargo in order to establish a lesser fee. Also, art classes downtown are three hours long, so if students park along the street, they have to leave class to move their vehicles after the two hour time limit. This becomes problematic during the middle of a class period.

 

Bruce stated that the City had already extended the time period for parking in that area in order to be consistent and uniform with other areas of the city, so they may not be willing to negotiate this matter. They have been very accommodating with the University’s requests for downtown and don’t want to appear to be giving NDSU preferential treatment. Amy pointed out that the students have brought a lot of business to the downtown area so, perhaps, the business owners near the Downtown Campus could be a little kinder to the students when it comes to parking matters. Bruce also mentioned the POP program that departments are using to pay for permits at a discounted rate for visiting speakers, guests, etc. at the building.  VP Adams asked Bruce to work with Amy on developing something that the students could bring to the City about their concerns.

 

PARKING & TICKETING PRACTICES ON MAIN CAMPUS

Amy was approached by a student who encountered some difficulties with parking on campus. The student parked on the street nearest to the west entrance of the Memorial Union because there were no spots in the MU Lot or the C Lot.  He/she received a ticket, although there were no signs indicating that parking wasn’t allowed there. The CSFC website states that parking will be well marked and fairly enforced, so she suggested that a No Parking sign be placed there for clarification.

 

Kathleen mentioned that the T2 parking lot was reconfigured when the Art Quonsets were removed, making it difficult to back up or to park there. Bruce told the committee when T2 was reconfigured, a small piece of asphalt was put down to accommodate 16 additional parking spaces, making the area very tight and not well laid out. The lot will be redone next summer, along with two other lots, after spring commencement in May. The lots are all high usage lots, so the work must be completed during the summer months.

 

CONDITION OF 17TH AVENUE

Amy inquired if there are plans in place to repair 17th Avenue north of the Bison Sports Arena. Bruce indicated that the work would be done this summer. An engineer will be hired in early January, the bidding process will be done in February, and construction will begin the Monday after spring commencement. Work will take place during the summer, so the street will be closed to allow for placement of new water lines, storm sewers, sidewalks, irrigation and turning lanes. This will impact the various summer camps held at the BSA, along with USA Wrestling, Rib Fest and other activities held at the FargoDome and BSA.

 

OTHER BUSINESS

Michael Harwood asked if new proposals for signage on campus should be routed through the CSFC. VP Adams indicated that it should, so Student Affairs will present a proposal for the F Court name change at the next CSFC meeting.

 

Kathleen asked if the Memorial Union construction would be completed by fall 2007. She had talked to Janna Mausolf-Stoskopf and suggested that it would be nice for people to know where things would be located and what types of amenities would be included after the renovation and addition were completed. The dissemination of information could be accomplished through updated posters that provide the status of the project, architectural drawings, etc. Bruce stated that they had some colored renderings in the past and that, perhaps, they could be displayed again. Kathleen inquired if the information could be found online and Bruce indicated that it could, along with a webcam featuring the current site work. Kathleen said that she’s had conversations with various faculty members who indicated that they would like to hear/know about the various phases of the projects, the new areas appearing in the Union, etc.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:50 p.m.  The next meeting will be scheduled for the first part of February with a second meeting being held before the end of the spring semester.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Gina Haugen

 

Gina Haugen, Secretary