All part of the master plan

In last week’s issue, the UVU Review reported that the former School of H.A.S.S. has split into the College of H.A.S.S. and the School of Arts. For the latter, many departments face problems of space — problems that could be solved if new
facilities are built.

For years there has been a list of “master plans” for the campus, including plans for academic courses and technological changes to be made. When most people talk about The master plan, however, they are usually referring to a plan for new building facilities, for the course of the next decade or so.

This master plan, as illustrated by the accompanying graphic art, includes new add-ons to buildings as well as new buildings and parking facilities.

Cameron Martin, assistant to the president in the institutional development department, is enthusiastic about many of the future plans. “It’s all very exciting,” he said, adding that he hopes future UVU students will be able to benefit from the master plan soon.
The first building on the list was the new library because President Sederburg believed it was the most pressing need. It was estimated at a little over $35 million at the time it was scheduled on the master plan but due to material demands after Hurricane Katrina, the market value rose and the price went up to about $48 million.

Now that the project is completed, the next three buildings, scheduled in order of probability to be built first, are an add-on to the Pope Science Building, a new Performing Arts Center, and an add-on to the Woodbury Business Building.

In addition to these, further down the list are an athletics add-on, a new field house, and an add-on to the Student Center. For the latter, the goal is to create the facility to house a rock wall, a weight room, and possibly a swimming pool. Funding for that, however, may have to come from student general fees (as reported in the orientation issue of UVU Review, a small percentage of general fees goes towards paying for the current Student Center).

The current LDS Institute Building will also be moved at some point in the future close to where current Institute parking is, and the building will be used for faculty and classrooms.

As depicted in the artwork, a lot of parking spaces will disappear (for example, a new classroom building will go where current parking is next to the LA Building and the library). Martin says that for each parking stall that is built on, more parking is prepared to compensate. As more buildings are constructed over parking spaces, parking structures will be built along the edges of campus.

UVU has also made plans with UTA to open up new transportation routes for students: In the next three to five years, the UTA Front Runner, a heavy rail train, will run on tracks along I-15 through Utah County. Meanwhile the UTA bus farm next to Parkway Crossing Apartments on Geneva Road will run up a road near the MT Center and throughout UVU campus – meaning that at least one bus will run through each campus stop every five minutes.

In addition to this, what makes Martin and developers excited is the symbolism in some of the future architecture. Some of the add-on to the WB Building is a glass structure that will cut through the building so that anyone traveling along University Parkway will be able to see through the building into the student courtyard. The Performing Arts Center also has a glass cutaway that will allow people traveling along I-15 to see through the building into a future student plaza between the center and the library, where a clock tower will stand in the middle. The metaphor is that the community can see through into the heart of UVU and find students openly engaging in activity, resonating with our open campus policy and student focus.

Most of the master plan is expected to be completed within 10-15 years.