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THE DAILY ILLINI
TUESDAY October 22, 2013
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
WWW.DAILYILLINI.COM
52˚ | 29˚ Vol. 143 Issue 33
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University’s Climate Action Plan runs into setbacks Construction of solar farm delayed due finance issues DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
Construction of the University’s solar farm has been postponed, causing setbacks in the Illinois Climate Action Plan’s goals. The solar farm is a major component of the plan, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in November 2012 and set for construction this fall. It was originally supposed to contribute 2 percent of University energy by 2015. Morgan Johnston, sustainability coordinator for Facilities and Services, said that goal would no longer be met. The delay began when State Purchasing Officer Steve Rotello raised questions about the financial standing of Phoenix Solar, the contractor the University picked to build the farm. “The University explained that the solar market had gone through a decline, and Phoenix is well positioned to survive that decline,” Johnston said. “At this point now we’re already seeing improvements in their financial situation, but we still do need to address the potential risk.” The University is developing a risk management system for the project as a method of insurance in case anything did go wrong with the company, she added. With the risk management plan, Johnston is hopeful the solar farms will be approved by Rotello this year, and construction will begin in Spring. “This project will help us get to about 2 percent renewable electricity for the campus; the initial goal for the Climate Action Plan was 5 percent by 2015,” Johnston said. “We’re hopeful to at least have the 2 percent up and running by 2015 with the solar farm.”
CLAIRE EVERETT THE DAILY ILLINI
Jessica DeWitt, graduate student, left, and Katie Kinley, senior in Engineering, center, talk about the Student Sustainability Committee with Ka Ying Alice Ngu, sophomore in ACES, right, at the Sustainability Week kickoff at the Activities and Recreation Center on Monday.
Students publicize sustainability efforts
BY CLAIRE EVERETT STAFF WRITER
Organizations involved in sustainability initiatives lined the lobby of the Activities and Recreation Center on Monday with tables at the Sustainability Week kickoff event. “We have a lot of graduates across campus that are not aware of all our efforts,” said Morgan Johnston, sustainability coordinator for Facilities and Services. She said the week is an opportunity for students and faculty
to get involved in the sustainability movement. The Illinois Student Senate’s Environmental Sustainability subcommittee lined its “Tap That” table with small plastic cups marked “1” and “2.” The “1s” were fi lled with tap water and the “2s” were filled with bottled water. The group conducted a blind taste test to see if people could tell the difference and if so, which cup they preferred. Amy Liu, chair of the “Tap That” campaign and sophomore in Fine and Applied Arts, said the
campaign encouraged students to rely more on tap water rather than bottled water. “We’re trying to prove that tap water is just as high quality, at a lower price, and that it also tastes better, if not at least the same,” Liu said. The registered student organization Students for Environmental Concerns is holding its own type of taste-testing event for sustainability week — a bikepowered blender that will produce smoothies during Bike FixIt Day on Wednesday.
After 20-year abandonment, rail turns to trail BY ZILA RENFRO STAFF WRITER
An initiative to reconstruct an abandoned rail line into a recreational trail from eastern Urbana to Kickapoo State Park is fi nally seeing results after the Champaign County Forest Preserve District purchased a portion of the rail line in early October. In the mid-1990s, the Champaign County Design and Conservation Foundation began working on negotiations with Norfolk Southern Corp. to acquire the railroad and turn it into a recreational trail for the community, said Steve Rugg, executive director of the foundation. “(We) worked with the thenowner of the rail line ... right to the point where they were prepared to donate the property to us without cost,” he said. However, just when the Norfolk Southern Corp. was going to give the property to the foundation, the rail company went out of business. The new company, CSX Corp., initially didn’t consider the rail-to-trail project to be “very high on the priority
list,” Rugg said. Now, about 20 years later, CSX has fi nally agreed to sell part of the railroad for $600,000. The price is below the appraised value, an action Rugg called “philanthropic.” Several other organizations managed to keep the hope for a trail alive over the years. Not only has the foundation raised funds, but they have also leased the line under the National Trails Systems Act, which legally allows for the railroad to be used as a trail. Lisa Sprinkle, marketing coordinator for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, said CCFPD also had an important impact on the project, as it has worked since 1994 to acquire the portion of the railroad that runs through Champaign County. However, the purchase made by the forest preserve district is only part of the future trail. The rest of the rail line runs through Vermilion County and will hopefully be purchased by the Vermilion County Conservation District by the end of the year, Rugg said.
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“There’s fresh fruit, and you’re basically just paying for the fruit and blend it yourself,” said Linda Qiu, secretary and junior in LAS. “The Bike Fix-It Day is promoting people to bike on campus instead of bringing down their cars. This is a benefit for people who do bike.” Stephanie Lage, assistant director for the Office of Sustainability, said she hoped students would join in with the banners, bikes and Zipcars the office will have in the Homecoming parade. The various aspects of sustain-
The abandoned rail turned into a trail is expected to be 24.5 miles and will expand from east Urbana to Kickapoo State Park in Oakwood, Ill.
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A set of new traffic signals in Urbana designed to benefit the visually impaired will be operational within the next couple of weeks at Race and Main streets, according to an Urbana official. The project will cost the City of Urbana approximately $250,000 for eight Accessible Pedestrian systems, said Bill Gray, director of Urbana Public Works. The Highway Safety Improvement Program funds 80 percent of the project, and the Motor Fuel Tax funds the other 20 percent. Gray said this is not the city’s fi rst set of signals designed to aid the visually impaired. The Accessible Pedestrian System is designed by Polara Engineering, Inc. to provide audible and vibrotactile information to pedestrians that have vision impairments, said Matthew Baker, national sales manager of Polara. “The push button vibrates throughout the walk interval so that the visually impaired individual can know they are able to walk,” said Gale Jamison, project manager and assistant city engineer for
74 KICKAPOO STATE PARK
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SOURCE: Champaign County Forest Preserve District
He said federal organizations have also been essential to the rail-to-trail project. The Illinois Department of Transportation has approved the project and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will own the portion of the rail line that crosses the Vermilion River. State and federal funds have allowed work to begin on preliminary engineering and environmental impact analysis. Currently, the majority of the rail line is overgrown vegetation. But after construction, the trail will be a compressed
EUNIE KIM THE DAILY ILLINI
crushed gravel bed suitable for bikers and hikers alike. Catherine Kemp, sophomore in ACES, is part of Illini 4000, a registered student organization that organizes an annual crosscountry bike ride to raise money for cancer. The group trains year-round to be able to bike an average of 70 miles per day. “One of our training rides was to Kickapoo,” she said. “I think it would definitely benefit people who may be a little more cautious about riding on the roads. ...
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Urbana. “There is an audible portion which basically gives information on which street crossing is available at that point in time.” Beyond vibrating during the walk interval, the button will also vibrate when pushed so the visually impaired person will know that his or her push was registered, and the audible tone will come on to let him or her know when it is okay to walk. “The most important message you get when you cross the street is when the walk signs are on,” Baker said. “For those that can’t see visual indications on the other sign across the street, they need a cue or assistance to know that it’s not safe to cross the street or that the walk indication is on at least.” The Accessible Pedestrian System has cues built into them to help these pedestrians. From 6 to 12 feet of the pole, they should hear a tone, such as a beep every 1.5 seconds, that directs them to the unit on the pole, Baker said. There, they will press and hold the button to hear the recordable message which will
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BY JACQUI OGRODNIK
URBANA KICKAPOO TRAIL
Claire can be reached at everett5@dailyillini.com.
New Urbana traffic signals to benefit visually impaired
Trail expands from Urbana to Kickapoo State Park
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
ability that students learn at the University could translate into worldwide sustainability awareness, Johnston said. That way, they could see an unsustainable practice, such as the lack of recycling in their workplace, and change it. “Sustainability Week is an opportunity for students across campus, whether you do it on a daily basis or not, to learn what our campus is doing,” Johnston said.
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