ITHACA, N.Y. ---- The Cornell University Board of Trustees today (Jan. 26) approved a recommendation to place the proposed $110 million Life Sciences Technology facility on the west end of Alumni Field, on the university's central campus.

The action by the board was taken subsequent to the prior approval of the proposed site by the board's Buildings and Properties Committee at its meeting Jan. 24. The committee added an amendment that requested the university administration to develop both short-term and long-term plans for athletic facilities and to replace two varsity practice fields lost to the construction with two new practice fields of superior quality. When the project is completed, one practice field on Alumni Field will be restored to athletics, with a net increase in the number of practice fields from two to three.

The committee also recommended that funding for the two new replacement fields and support facilities will be provided through the Life Sciences Technology project and will not be dependent on additional fund raising by the athletics department. The administration is also requested to address transportation needs of student-athletes and explore the feasibility of a covered practice field.

"As chair of the Task Force on Athletics, I am pleased with the outcome that enhances the situation for athletics while at the same time providing support for the University's scientific priorities," said Trustee Robert D. Kennedy. "In making this decision, the university has made commitments to athletics that actually put the department in a more favorable position than before."

The Life Sciences Technology Initiative (LSTI) is one of the university's three highest scientific research priorities. The proposed new facility, as part of this initiative, will dramatically increase support for interdisciplinary research in genomics, biology, biological engineering, biophysics, and computational and statistical biology.

The approved site, on the extreme west end of Alumni Field, provides necessary close physical connections to the existing Biotechnology Building and Corson-Mudd Hall, and it offers the possibility of a further connection to the Plant Science Building. The program for the building envisions a 240,000 gross-square-foot facility. An alternative site, the gap that presently exists between Kennedy Hall and the Plant Science Building on the Agriculture Quad, was thoroughly reviewed by both the administration and the Buildings and Properties Committee. The alternative, while offering many desirable characteristics, was ultimately deemed to be too small to handle the size of the proposed facility.

In making its determination on the proposed site, which necessitates the permanent loss of one varsity practice field, the Board of Trustees and its committee gave considerable and detailed attention to the needs of the Athletics and Physical Education Department. Sasaki Associates and Cornell have been examining in detail the feasible options for the athletic program, including their potential implications for other university programs. Considerable attention was given by the Board of Trustees at this meeting to two alternative sites for two new athletic fields: the Cornell Orchards along Dryden Road/NYS Route 366 and the Paddocks bordered by Ellis Hollow Creek Road and Pine Tree Road. Detailed analyses of these alternative sites are now under way.

Cornell President Hunter Rawlings stressed the importance of continued investment in the university's athletics program: "We have a win-win situation -- decisions by the Board of Trustees that will secure not only Cornell's leadership in the biological sciences for decades to come, but also the expansion of first-class athletic facilities for Cornell's students. I have no doubt that the entire Cornell community will benefit from the result."

The estimated $110 million budget for the Life Sciences Technology facility is funded through gifts and state and federal grants. The design for the building is expected to take approximately 24 months, with construction planned to start in late 2003. Timing for the project will ensure that the new athletic fields will be available prior to the closure of the Alumni Field facilities.

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