Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1976 [PAGE 116]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1974]

UNIVERSITY QF ILLINOIS

105

O n motion of Mr. Swain, these recommendations were approved by the following vote: Aye, M r . Harm, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Livingston, Mrs. Rader, Mr. Steger, Mr. Swain; no, M r . Forsyth, Mr. Howard, Mr. Neal; absent, Dr. Bakalis, Governor Walker. OLD AND NEW BUSINESS Springer Lake Project Mr. Walter Keith, Director of Robert Allerton Park, presented a status report upon the action of the Board taken at the September meeting with regard to the implementation of recommendations of the Harza Report and the extent to which the Memorandum of Agreement of 1970 had been complied with. Mr. Keith indicated that he had held discussions with the major parties to the Agreement, that letters and questions had been sent to each, and that responses were now being received. When this task has been accomplished, further discussions may be necessary before the administration will be able to make specific recommendations to the Board. He noted that a fundamental issue was the degree to which a "binding agreement" is possible. H e noted that the Chicago District Corps of Engineers cannot sign such an agreement. He also said the Chief of Engineers may be able to enter into such an agreement, but this is not known. With regard to a restudy of the 1970 Memorandum of Agreement, Mr. Keith indicated that it should be noted that the document is a statement of principle, concepts, objectives, defining characteristics, and guidelines, not a detailed set of specifications, and that the authors and parties to the agreement realized that further refinements would be necessary. H e pointed out that, in the four years since the signing of the agreement, some, but not all, of its provisions have been implemented: (1) the State of Illinois still serves as its sponsor — conditionally; (2) the State of Illinois has not transferred the water function to the city of Decatur; (3) operational plans have not been developed (the discussion concerning the Harza Report and the Memorandum of Agreement is beginning this process of developing an operational plan) ; (4) the Sangamon River Basin Committee has not been formed as outlined in the agreement; and (5) the cost estimate of $55,000,000 for 1970 has been outdated by a current figure of $110,000,000. Finally, Mr. Keith noted that the administrative study and review will be limited to materials now in hand. T h e final Environmental Impact Statement and the General Design Memorandum from the Corps of Engineers will not be publicly available until early January for the first and early February for the second. I n the course of general discussion, Mr. Livingston moved that the Board of Trustees withdraw its support of the project until the Harza Report recommendations were incorporated in the construction contract.