10-26-23 UFPB Meeting Minutes

MEETING MINUTES OF THE UNIVERSITY FACILITIES PLANNING BOARD

October 26, 2023

Members Present: Grant Petersen – Co-Chair, Sreekala Bajwa, Mike Everts, Kris Johnson, Duane Morris, Tom Rogers, Evan Greenwood, Kirk Lubick

Proxy's: Durward Sobek (for Robert Mokwa), Amber Long (for Steve Swinford)

Members Absent:Dean Adams, Marguerite Kibodeaux, Chris Fastnow, Brett Gunnick, Alison Harmon, EJ Hook,Mike Stanley

Staff & Guests: Grey Williams, Richard Rudnicki

ITEM No. 1 - APPROVAL OF NOTES

The meeting minutes from September 19^th, 2023, were approved with a condition to update the attendance record.

ITEM No. 2 - Grant Street Reconfiguration - Project Design

Presenter: Grey Williams, Campus Planner

Summary/Context

The MSU campus core has continued to grow to the south in the area of Grant Street with the construction of Norm Asbjornson Hall, construction of the Parking Garage, renovation of Romney Hall, and current renovation/addition of the Student Wellness Center. Further development is anticipated to the south with the planned construction of Gianforte Hall and Jones Hall. As the campus core grows to the south there is heightened pedestrian traffic to, from, and among these critical facilities.

To integrate the south campus area into the campus core and to ensure responsible management of pedestrian, bike, and vehicle traffic, MSU has elected to redevelop the Grant Street corridor into a pedestrian and bike-oriented hub for south campus activity. Grant Street has been closed to vehicles to facilitate construction safety since March of 2019. Over the last four and a half years the campus community has adapted to the sustained safety closure.

Planning & Design Process

To ensure the project design reflects campus needs and priorities, engagement and discussion with campus stakeholders has been a process priority. The design team and MSU staff conducted multi-day design charettes, surveying, static displays, pop-up events, student meetings, stakeholder work sessions, and class participation. So far, the project has engaged in over 800 stakeholder contacts. Campus engagement was critical to informing the project vision and concept. Key themes from the extensive outreach include a focus on multi-modal travel, efficient pedestrian travel paths, and diversity of active and passive outdoor spaces/amenities.

Project Scope

The project will transform the Grant Street corridor from 11^th Ave. on the west to 7^th Ave. on the east. The project will feature the following attributes:

“Across Montana” Theme: landscaping that reflects the diverse landscape of Montana from water and woodlands in the west to mountains in the middle and plains to the east
Veterans Park: new intentionally designed Veterans Park adjacent to Travis W. Atkins Veterans Support Center, east of Romney Hall
SUB Improvements: reimagined transit, drop-off, and ADA access to SUB
7^th & Grant Roundabout: improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety along 7^th
Pedestrian & Bike Access: wide corridor for shared use connections through campus
Service/Emergency Access: enhance non-public access to buildings along Grant Street
Passive Spaces: casual seating areas along corridor for informal use of landscape
Active Spaces: group gathering areas, slacklining, and unprogrammed event spaces
Historic Preservation: enhanced experience of Gatton Gate
Stormwater as a Feature: on site stormwater detention to enhance the landscape
Resilience: drought resistant landscaping and low maintenance landscaping

Project Delivery

The project will be phased and completed upon final budget reconciliation. The design is anticipated to be completed in Winter 2023-2024 with the first phase of construction slated for Summer 2024 and focused on the area from Bobcat Circle to Norm Asbjornson Hall. A second major phase focused on the SUB and 7^th Ave. intersection components is targeted for Summer 2025. Completion of the west end of the corridor will happen in coordination with completion of the Jones Hall and PBS Addition projects.

Durward Sobek questioned how the Streamline bus service and public transportation will integrate into the design. Richard Rudnicki clarified that the new SUB drop-off loop features covered bike parking as well as a new covered bus stop, and the redesigned bus stop is in the same location as the current stop. He also clarified that the redesigned loop prioritizes bus parking and holds 3 more buses than the current configuration without affecting vehicle traffic. Richard also mentioned that overflow bus parking is included as well.

Grant Peterson added that this was designed with events in mind that bring heavy bus traffic and loads such as conferences and events that are held in the SUB annually.

Durward Sobek questioned what the position of the City of Bozeman was regarding the project. Richard Rudnicki stated that MSU owns Grant Street, and while the university values the city’s input, the university is free to reconfigure the corridor as they see fit. Grant Peterson clarified as well that coordination with the city has been ongoing since the initial March 2019 closure of the street. Grant also mentioned that discussions with the city revolving around the proposed 7^th Ave and Grant St intersection have taken place, and how it relates to the traffic and future of the city with corridors such as Kagy Rd and Wilson Ave.

Tom Rogers agreed that a city-wide approach to transportation is vital. He also agreed with Richard regarding Grant Street being the property of MSU, and that MSU is responsible for and has the authority to undertake this project. Tom questioned the outreach method of the project and cited that the city continues to hear and receive complaints due to the closure of Grant Street. He specifically questioned whether off campus stakeholders were engaged in the public participation phase of this project, and he asked whether the city transportation engineer specifically was engaged about this project or during the design process. Grant Peterson stated that involving the transportation engineer can still be done, if need be, and informal conversations have taken place. Grant Peterson clarified that outreach focused on campus stakeholders and did not prioritize stakeholders outside of campus.

Richard Rudnicki stated that all public meetings and events were open to the public but were not advertised to the neighborhood specifically. He also stated that some off-campus stakeholders attended and made their concerns known during those events.

Richard Rudnicki wanted to clarify as well that the reconfiguration is designed for emergency vehicle access, if need be, including buses being able to access the corridor for major events if desired by the university.

Mike Everts asked about how this design integrates with the master plan, specifically how it integrates into the planned pedestrian access continuing south. Richard stated that the reconfiguration takes this into account and directly links with pathways adjacent to Norm Asbjornson Hall and will continue south with further construction on the 7^th Avenue corridor, as stated in the “M to M Trail” in the master plan.

Evan Greenwood asked about the service drive between Gaines Hall and The Visual Communications Building, and how it will be accessed. Grant clarified it will be accessible to the south via Bobcat Circle.

Evan also asked for clarification on the phasing of the project, and how this drive will be accessed or accessible during construction on the west end of Grant St. Richard Rudnicki stated that one way traffic would always be maintained in Bobcat Circle during construction.

Duane Morris stated he was grateful to be involved with this project and cited some challenges still to come with things such as the phasing of construction.

The Vote: Evan Greenwood motioned to approve, Durward Sobek seconds. The motion carries 9-1.

Tom Rogers provided clarification for his vote to not approve. He cited that Grant St is designated a collector street and has been for decades. He continued by stating that limited number of East-West corridors due to the geography of Bozeman makes the reconfiguration of Grant Street into a pedestrian corridor a loss for the city, and that the belief is that users have not accepted that closure and change up to this point but have simply adapted. He stated negative impacts of the project will be pushed onto the city, and that the safety of the community is up to the city, and the belief of city staff is that this reconfiguration for the corridor is not the best solution, as opposed to traffic mitigation that has been used around the community.