Summary
Dave Agazzi welcomed the group and introduced Jacque Klika, a new member of the committee. Jacque Klika is the Coordinator of STAR (disability services) and the Academic Skills Center and started at JJC at the end of May.
Strategic Plan Update:
- Ryan Smith provided a revised timeline for the Strategic Plan process. Joel Lapin, the Strategic Plan consultant, has been setting up one-hour meetings with each team. Right now, they're going through the environmental scanning process and are hoping to have trend statements completed by the end of August. They have a scheduled end date of January 2008, but there should be enough information in November 2007 to share with the Master Plan Committee. Gena Proulx stated it was clear after sitting down with Joel Lapin that he was concerned we wouldn't get much momentum through the holidays, so we needed to extend the timeline.
- Bob Klein noted the timeline indicates meetings with community representatives and asked who that would be. Ryan Smith responded that those individuals would be identified by JJC. Gena Proulx added that we would put together a communication piece to ask three questions of the community representatives. There would be categories of representatives: Group A could be those we absolutely have to meet with face-to- face; Group B could be those individuals we could communicate with via e-mail or on the phone; and, Group C could be those individuals we would expect to receive something back from in writing. The Senior Leadership Team will look out into our community and decide who the representatives should be and where they fall into the groups. Gena Proulx said she hopes to see trends in the community that will tell us where we need to be responsive.
- David Agazzi reminded the committee that the timing of the Master Plan was targeted for December board approval. However, we also wanted to bring it to the board a month after the Strategic Plan was completed. He asked for committee feedback on the possibility of adjusting the Master Plan timeline to coincide with the Strategic Plan timeline. After discussion, it was agreed that the Master Plan timeline should be adjusted to reflect an end-date of February 2008 at the latest.
- For the Strategic Plan process, John Griffis asked Ryan Smith if his group could not only look at the needs within our district but at employment trends outside that scope. For instance, there could be some communication with four-year schools as to the trends they're seeing. This might help identify what areas transfer students will be interested in here at JJC.
Jeff Sronkoski provided an update to the goals and objectives slide by adding eight items discussed at the June meeting (listed at the bottom):
- Physical space needs to be aligned with JJC's strategic mission.
- Improve functional and aesthetic quality of facilities.
- Establish a plan for prioritized growth.
- Provide a programmatic basis for physical planning.
- Integrate physical planning with financial planning.
- Preserve the Main Campus 'natural areas.'
- Clarify the Main Campus 'front door' (wayfinding and identity).
- Re-think the location of the campus center (centralization, student services, student center, student activities, bookstore, cafeteria—currently, these are not really central to students).
- Parking capacities at Main Campus to be better aligned with usage (linked to previous two because biggest issue is at J building—not that there's not enough, but where is it really needed?).
- Replace the Main Campus temporary buildings (many other community colleges have that same objective, and it seems to take a long time to phase them out).
- Incorporate an internal ring road at Main Campus (vehicular circulation and access to the buildings).
- Explore programmatic opportunities at the City Center Campus (Culinary Arts, others that already exist, and others altogether).
- Investigate the need for improved nursing/allied health facilities (that market is really growing/driving need—seeing this at other community colleges as well).
- Improve pedestrian access to the Main Campus from Houbolt Road (there's no way to walk into the Main Campus).
- Library location and use.
- Connection of buildings J and T.
- Incorporate new road.
- Sound acoustics.
- Address Bolingbrook/North Campus/Grundy.
- Aesthetics.
- Population to double by 2020-2030.
- Sustainability.
Master Plan Options Update:
- Michael Lundeen reminded the group of the options presented at the June meeting and provided those diagrams.
- Jeff Sronkoski reminded the group about the possibility of a new road south of Main Campus and shared some diagrams of what that might look like.
- Michael Lundeen stated he did a bit more benchmarking as far as parking. When looking at Harper College, he noted they're approximately 40% larger in square footage and FTE than JJC. However, the distances from parking spaces to buildings aren't that much different from JJC's. He also looked at Moraine Valley and noted the parking isn't that different there either. When looking at the College of Lake County, he noted it's a very compact campus, where virtually all buildings are connected. They do have some much further distance between their buildings and their parking.
- Jeff Brubaker reminded the group that there's a very strong 'knuckle' that has formed at JJC because of the L shape of the buildings (at A, B, C). He reiterated this is ideal for sustainability.
- Michael Lundeen prepared a listing of potential new buildings to use on the Master Plan as placeholders, created from a formula involving existing net square footage and requested net square footage.
- Those calculations resulted in:
- Allied health: 132,000 SF
- Student services: 112,000 SF (includes cafeteria, registration)
- Facilities/services: 82,000 SF
- Culinary arts: 43,000 SF
- Science: 91,500 SF
- Athletic/PE facilities: 120,000-150,000 SF (includes potentially the YMCA)
- Other areas where he hasn't identified the square footage include:
- Renovations
- Library location
- Departmental offices
- Parking garage
- Future programs
- Potential growth
- Satellite campuses
Michael Lundeen presented a slide covering some different options for the placement of Facility Services. Discussion ensued about the delivery of products, the proximity to other buildings on campus for getting to meetings, and the idea that it should be included in a 'back yard' area.
Michael Lundeen explained that all options presented would include a 'future partnership' building. All three options also include walkout decks to a triangular lawn area to the north of the E, D, and C buildings and west of the A and T buildings. Also, all three options include the renovation of buildings when they lose their current occupants to new buildings and connectivity between the proposed new buildings.
Bridge Scheme
Legat presented Option B.3, which has a large parking lot on the southeast side of campus across from Centennial Commons (in the area where Facility Services currently exists). New buildings could be built to the west and north of that lot. This option also includes a new PE/Athletics/YMCA building with a smaller building for the Early Childhood Center, an addition onto the A building, and a parking garage in the current J lot. This option would include a renovation of the J building for the Campus Center/Student Services.
Front Lawn Scheme
Legat presented Option B.2, which has a large, U-shaped green area in the area across from Centennial Commons (where Facility Services is currently located) and smaller parking lots surrounding it. New buildings could be built to the west and north of this area, and a new building at the center of that, in the current area of the greenhouse, would be considered the Campus Center. This option also includes a new PE/Athletics/YMCA building with a smaller building for the Early Childhood Center.
Town Square Theme
Legat presented Option C.2, which is identified by a circle (either an open space or an enclosed building) in the area where Facility Services is currently located. New buildings could be built around this circle, and a Campus Center building could be built where the existing greenhouse is located. This also includes a new PE/Athletics building with a second level bridge over to a new YMCA building, along with a smaller building for the Early Childhood Center. This option allows for a large parking lot across from Centennial Commons surrounding the new buildings around the circle. Additional green spaces are identified around the parking lot areas and to the south of the G, F, E, D, C buildings.
Landscape Master Plan
Paul Wiese from JJR stated the domains represented within the Landscape Master Plan include:
- Natural area preserve
- Horticulture/Agriculture Department educational and experimental areas
- Lake
- Dr. William M. Zales Arboretum
- ILCA testing facility
- Active student spaces
- Areas serviced by Roads and Grounds services
He explained that currently, there isn't a lot of connectivity between these domains and the outdoor learning environments. Whatever plans the group comes up with, we want to make sure the landscape complements them (i.e., tie trail systems to natural areas, arboretum to the campus, etc.).
Dave Agazzi stated that in the fly-throughs of the final options, Legat will need to provide a glimpse of what Culinary Arts/Hospitality is going to look like. Bob Klein stated they had requested demonstration kitchen, ice carving area, etc. This area really needs to be detailed and should include something double, or even triple, the size it is currently.
The next meeting for Legat to share options with the committee and the SLT is August 2 at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room.
On August 15, Legat will be presenting options at the opening session.