‘GATSBY’ LIVES UP TO LEGEND | Page 8 University of Denver student newspaper since 1899
Vol. 120, Issue 15
may 14, 2013
www.duclarion.com
University to demolish City asks DU to slash water use eight High St. homes by sarah ford Managing Editor
Senior Reporter
Eight university-owned homes will be demolished in the coming weeks as part of DU’s turf and green space project, which will result in two new recreational fields in the area between CIBER Field and South High Street. Demolition of the homes, located on the east side of South High Street between East Asbury Avenue and East Jewell Avenue, is likely to begin within the next three weeks, according to Allan Wilson, DU’s assistant director of facilities management. The project will also replace the existing grass practice field, located parallel to CIBER Field. “We own a lot of property on the perimeter of campus, and we have been acquiring property on that block for probably 40 years,” said Wilson. “We finished the last acquisition about a year ago. We knew we were coming up on a construction project, so we set the lease terms with that in mind. It was probably in January or February that our funding was put together, which allowed us to move forward.” The houses were predominantly built during the 1920s, housing university faculty members, and had since undergone numerous resales before being acquired by DU. The university leased all eight properties on short-term agreements until roughly January of this year, at which point tenants were notified of the project. The renters have all been relocated, with the majority transitioning to other universityowned properties. “The variable factor was that, while the project had been planned for some time, there was no solid timeline for when funding would be complete, so it was impossible to have lease expiration dates coincide perfectly with the project start date,” Wilson said. “Therefore, it was not a seamless transition, but I believe that it was well managed. We worked with tenants to facilitate their moving prior to their lease expiration date by providing rent abatement and relocation assistance.”
SEE new, PAGE 3
DU has begun to cut water usage throughout campus after being asked by Denver Water to reduce water use by a total of 45 percent throughout campus, an initiative which began April 1. According to Campus Operations Director David Snyder, the university has agreed to reduce water use by 35 percent on outdoor facilities and 10 percent within the buildings. The restrictions will last until March of 2014. The cutback comes by request of Denver Water, Denver’s water utility which serves most of the Denver and Colorado population. According to their website, Denver Water officially adopted Stage 2 drought operating rules on March 27, which restrict homeowners to watering their lawns twice a week. The university is working directly with a representative from Denver Water to determine how to best meet the requirements of the restriction, according to Energy Manager Tom McGee and Snyder. “Denver has asked us to wear brown spots as a badge of honor,” said Snyder. As part of the plan to keep
“There are a lot of functions they have over there, graduation and stuff,” Snyder said. “So we have to keep those green.” Water use casualties also include several university fountains. This year, the upper portion of the pond which runs approximate to the Evans Memorial Chapel will be empty, adhering to Denver Water restrictions which bar filling open water features with “airborne” water, or water which falls from one level to another. However, the university has received a permit to fill the lower pond according to Snyder, which will be used for aesthetic pleasure for weddings and other events held on campus annually. “With the investments in plants that we have, we’re filling the lower ponds and putting as many plants as we can in ther
The newly-built fountain near the campus Holocaust Memorial will also be empty this year, starting after the memorial’s grand opening. Denver Water granted the university a variance to run the fountain only for the day of the grand opening.
SEE drought, PAGE 4
Men’s lax moves to quarter finals
Senior Colin Scott and Wes Berg celebrate with a high five during the game against Albany.
‘Cooked’ author Michael Pollan speaks on sustainability LIFESTYLES | Page 6
QUOTABLE
by anna gauldin
The turf project has been a part of the “master plan” for the Ritchie Center complex since early 2000, according to Wilson. However, when the Ritchie Center was built in 1999, the university agreed to expansion restrictions with the surrounding neighborhood. “There was an agreement with the neighborhood that, after the Ritchie Center was built, we couldn’t expand until after a time period,” said Stuart Halsall, the assistant vice chancellor for recreation, athletic events and Ritchie Center operations. “That time period has elapsed, so we now have the opportunity. The remainder was contingent on fundraising, because the project is being funded through private gifts with support of the university.” Working with a budget of $3.5 million, the university is currently in the process of receiving contractor bids. Once that has been finalized, a more concrete schedule will be established for the 18-week project. In the meantime, Halsall pinned down mid-autumn as a hopeful completion date for the project, with the bulk of construction occurring this summer. CIBER Field, with its north-south orientation, will remain unchanged throughout this project. Directly west of the field, however, two new synthetic turf fields will be constructed perpendicular to CIBER Field, extending toward South High Street. Both fields will be lit and will be available for use by varsity, club and intramural athletic teams, as well as the general student population. The expansion of green space on campus is becoming increasingly necessary, according to Halsall, as the number of athletic teams continues to increase at all levels. In the last year, the number of intramural participants has increased from 1,100 to more than 1,300, and nearly 100 new students have joined club sports teams, according to Scott Farina, the student programs manager.
to the newly-set restrictions, the university joined the rest of the city in reducing watering many on-campus grass areas to two days a week from five. In 2011, the university used 130 million gallons of water, and last year 137 million according to Snyder. So far this year, they have used 90 million. Reduction of 45 percent will reduce that amount by approximately 61.7 million gallons. “We’re looking at reducing our levels of irrigation,” said McGee. “It could be a case where you see a few more brown spots over the summer.” Grass on campus is now being watered twice a week from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., adhering to timing requirements also set down by Denver Water. However, areas on campus have been given exception to the restriction. These areas include CIBER Field, the greens near the Daniels College of Business, as well as Carnegie Green and the Admissions buildings. According to Snyder, these areas will be watered regularly in order to accommodate summer events which are held on campus.
“Why do you interpret my request as an act of political correctness?” OPINIONS | Page 13
kim nesBitt|clarion
SEE berg, PAGE 14
days left
14
TIL UN TH E ‘BES
T OF IS RELEA DU’ SED