College finishes campus plan
A team of college officials met last week for a final review session before the new Franklin College Campus Master Plan is unveiled in front of the board of trustees later this month.
Lisa Fears, the vice president of planning, plant and technology, who is tasked with leading the college’s efforts to craft a new strategic plan, said the session was “a means for everyone to make sure we were all on the same page.”
The strategic plan includes proposals of adding a new Grizzly Park sports complex, two new “themed” residential houses, new residence halls to replace Hoover and Cline halls and a new fieldhouse that would be attached to the Spurlock Center with a connected walkway over Forsythe Street.
The plan also includes concepts for additions and renovations to Barnes Hall, Hamilton Library and Johnson-Dietz Residence Hall.
“One of the nice things that’s come forth with this Master Plan is not building a brand new building, but really reusing some of the materials and some of the space that we have,” Fears said. “I think that is just a model of good stewardship for some of the resources that we have.”
After the plan is presented to the board of trustees, the members will have the summer to review and familiarize themselves with the plans before making a decision about the project.
“Some of the board members haven’t had an opportunity to really know very much about [the plans] at this point,” Fears said. “Some board members have been participatory and have helped us form a small focus group. We’ve invited them to be a part of the focus groups all along in the process.”
