The Daily Bulletin Archive

By Phyllis Camesano

Members of the campus and the community will have an opportunity on April 28 and 29 to glimpse and comment on different approaches for how the Buffalo State College campus might grow and change over the duration of the next master plan—2013 to 2023—and beyond.

The suggested planning ideas and directions are the result of a 15-month Facilities Master Plan process involving site visits, assessments of all 41 buildings, and analyses of the college’s future space needs. Landscape, transportation, and infrastructure will also be covered in the plan. The planning team has received extensive input from interviews with more than 150 campus and community members.

“The comprehensive process now gets very interesting,” said Stanley Kardonsky, who as vice president for finance and management leads the initiative. “Based on extensive research, analysis, and input, our team of consultants, led by Flynn Battaglia Architects, is developing three concept alternatives for the college and the State University Construction Fund (SUCF) to review. A final plan will be created and presented in the fall.”

Kardonsky said the concepts explore growth to the south and to the west. All concepts are based on specific campus needs identified through the planners’ research and analysis.

Critical areas of emphasis include:

• Expansion of campus life and student support space.
• Comprehensive and partial renovations to several existing buildings.
• Parking and circulation improvements (vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian).
• Improved gateway, appearance, and connectivity to the surrounding community.

The presentations are as follows:

For the Advisory Committee
Wednesday, April 28
4:00 p.m., Cleveland Hall 418

For the Immediate Neighborhood
Wednesday, April 28
6:00 p.m., Cleveland Hall 418

For Faculty, Staff, and Students
Thursday, April 29
Drop-in session: 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Campbell Student Union

A public meeting for the broader community will be held in June.

The April 29 drop-in session will provide an opportunity for the campus community to view and comment on different approaches for how the campus could evolve. “We encourage everyone to attend and provide feedback,” Kardonsky urged. Input can be given via comment forms provided during the drop-in session or e-mailed to VPFM@buffalostate.edu.

The previous five-year Master Plan, which launched in 1995, resulted in major campus improvements completed or under way, including upgraded student dining facilities; renovations to Campus House; expanded residence halls, including conversion of Cassety Hall; an expanded campus bookstore; relocation of the Great Lakes Center to the waterfront; redesign of the Student Union Quad; and construction start-up for the new science and mathematics complex and the new technology building.

The Facilities Master Plan process is driven by the SUCF and guided by an executive committee headed by Kardonsky and Interim Provost Kevin Railey with Stan Medinac, associate vice president for facilities planning. A 40-member advisory committee of faculty and staff members and business and community leaders meets regularly and provides input.