CWU Releases Draft Master Plan

April 7, 2005

Contact: Karen Olson (509-963-2438/fax 509-963-3301/e-mail: olsonka@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University is now developing a new "Facilities and Development Master Plan" that will guide future development of the university as a whole, and the Ellensburg campus in particular. The new plan determines how CWU will grow and change over the next two decades and beyond by merging the many and varied needs of the campus community into common solutions.

The university's site and development committee, which conceived and developed the plan, is now in a review phase of the draft document.

"Each committee member is independently presenting the plan and actively soliciting comments," Bill Vertrees, CWU facilities management director and committee chair, says. "Because the process involved committee members from diverse interests of the university, it's representative of the varied physical goals and needs. Still, we want to make sure that the entire campus is aware of the plan and that those interested will read it and give us their comments and feedback."

The plan is available for review at http://www.cwu.edu/~facility/masterplan.html. It is also on reserve at the Brooks Library on campus. A final version will be presented which considers all these comments, and will go through the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process at that point. The public comment period closes May 2.

The plan will guide both internal changes to space utilization and external growth through capital development or landscaping. While the new plan does not designate specific building sites, it establishes parameters for future development by allocating specific functions and aesthetic designs into zones for continuity and harmony.

"The plan also addresses the university centers, while recognizing that each of our buildings will need to fit within the scope and style of each individual center location," Vertrees adds. "This new plan builds on the existing 1998 document. The goal is to accent and enhance the existing campus form and historic qualities, improving upon what we already have as part of a continuum of visioning and planning."

For more information, call (509) 963-2438, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.