Trustees approve Alumni Field as site for new life science technology building

Meeting in New York City on Saturday, Jan. 26, the Cornell Board of Trustees approved a recommendation to place a proposed $110 million life science technology building on the west end of Alumni Field, on the university's central campus.

The action by the board was taken two days after the proposed site was approved by the board's Buildings and Properties Committee. The committee added an amendment that requested the university administration develop both short-term and long-term plans for athletics facilities and replace two varsity practice fields lost to the construction with two new practice fields of superior quality. When the project is completed, one practice field on Alumni Field will be restored to athletics, with an increase in the number of practice fields from two to three.

The committee also recommended that funding for the two new replacement fields and support facilities will be provided through the Cornell Genomics Initiative (CGI) and will not be dependent on additional fund raising by the Department of Athletics and Physical Education. The administration also was requested to address transportation needs of student-athletes and explore the feasibility of a covered practice field.

"As chair of the Task Force on Athletics, I am pleased with the outcome that enhances the situation for athletics while at the same time providing support for the university's scientific priorities," said trustee Robert D. Kennedy. "In making this decision, the university has made commitments to athletics that actually put the department in a more favorable position than before."

The CGI is one of the university's three highest scientific research and educational priorities. The proposed new facility, as part of this initiative, will dramatically increase support for interdisciplinary research, linking organismal biology with the computational, engineering and physical sciences.

The new building, on the extreme west end of Alumni Field, will have underground connections to the existing Biotechnology Building and Corson and Mudd Halls, as well as the Agriculture Quad's Plant Science Building, which connects by passageways to other life science buildings on the north side of Tower Road. The program for the new building envisions a 240,000 gross-square-foot facility. One alternative site, the area between Kennedy Hall and the Plant Science Building, was thoroughly reviewed by both the administration and the Buildings and Properties Committee. The alternative, while offering many desirable characteristics, was ultimately deemed to be too small to handle the size of the proposed facility.

In making its determination on the proposed site, which necessitates the permanent loss of one varsity practice field, the board of trustees and its committee gave considerable and detailed attention to the needs of the athletics department. Sasaki Associates, a consulting firm, and Cornell have been examining in detail the feasible options for the athletic program, including their potential implications for other university programs. Considerable attention was given by the board of trustees at the Saturday meeting to two alternative sites for two new athletic fields: the Cornell Orchards along Dryden Road/state Route 366 and the paddocks bordered by Ellis Hollow Road and Pine Tree Road. Detailed analyses of these alternative sites are now under way.

Cornell President Hunter Rawlings stressed the importance of continued investment in the university's athletics program: "We have a win-win situation -- decisions by the board of trustees that will secure not only Cornell's leadership in the biological sciences for decades to come, but also the expansion of first-class athletic facilities for Cornell's students. I have no doubt that the entire Cornell community will benefit from the result."

The estimated $110 million budget for the life science technology facility is funded through gifts and state grants, with federal grants expected to fund necessary equipment. The design for the building is expected to take approximately 24 months, with construction planned to start in late 2003 or early 2004. Timing for the project will ensure that the new athletic fields will be available prior to the closure of the Alumni Field.