Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1960 [PAGE 294]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1959]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

29I

Supplement to Report of the Committee on General Policy on Site Selection for Relocation of the Chicago Undergraduate Division 1, Consideration of the Rail Terminal site, consisting of approximately one hundred thirty acres proposed and allocated by the Central Area Committee for use by the University of Illinois, has been limited because: a. It is now clear that this land can not be made available to meet the University's time schedule for the relocation of the Chicago Undergraduate Division. b. The valuation for reuse would be greatly in excess of the cost of one of the other acceptable sites. c. Undesirable environmental conditions exist east of the site, and there is no assurance of improvement of these conditions within the predictable future. d. Expansion beyond the known acreage would probably be difficult and relatively expensive. 2. Likewise consideration of the Garfield Park site of approximately onehundred forty-six acres, including fifty-four acres of park land, has been limited because: a. No assurance has been given to the University that the park land will be made available to it. b. Unless new federal legislation is enacted and funds are appropriated for an urban renewal project in this area, the total land cost to the University could be as much as $20,000,000 which is greatly in excess of the estimated cost of at least one of the other acceptable sites. c. The adjacent area to the east is less desirable as to environment than the areas adjacent to the Riverside Golf Club and Northerly Island. d. It will be more difficult, and therefore more expensive, to provide delivery of fuel and other supplies to the Garfield Park site than to Northerly Island or Riverside Golf Club which can be served by rail or barge. At the conclusion of this presentation, M r s . W a t k i n s moved the adoption of this report and approval of the recommendations. There followed a general discussion of the report in which all of the Trustees participated. President Livingston invited the three Trustees-elect, who were guests of the Board and observers at this meeting, to join in this discussion and all three of them did so. Mr. H a r e w o o d offered the comment that the Chicago U n d e r graduate Division should be in an area where it will be readily accessible to the greatest number of students and that the Riverside site is the least desirable from this standpoint. H e suggested the Board defer action. Mr. Clement suggested that the offer to accept Northerly Island be made more flexible as to the cost. Mr. Pogue stated that he believes the present Board, having dealt with the site problem and having studied it for many months, is better qualified to make the decision than any other group. H e added that Northerly Island would be his personal preference but the recommendation of the Committee leaves the door open to consideration of that site. Messrs. J o h n Harrington, G. A. Lund, E . P . Schoenthaler, and H. C. W o o d w a r d , residents of the Village of Riverside, and Mr. Jerry Slezak, Clerk of the Village of N o r t h Riverside, were present at the meeting and President Livingston asked if they wished to be heard. M r . Harrington, speaking for the group, reviewed briefly the presentation he made on behalf of this group of citizens of Riverside at a meeting they had with the Committee on General Policy on February 18, 1959, at which time they expressed their objections to