Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Cal Athletics: Memorial Stadium Project Update

Cal's master plan for modernizing California Memorial Stadium begins with construction of the new Student-Athlete High Performance Center. There has been a great deal of inaccurate and misleading information in the press about this endeavor and in the lawsuits that have been filed in an effort to delay or derail the project. We want you, our fans and supporters, to have the facts. This email is intended not only as an informational piece but also as a call to action to support our student-athletes.

The High Performance Center

The High Performance Center will be used by approximately 350 student-athletes on a daily basis, including football and nearly 250 athletes from 12 other athletic programs, along with their coaches and athletics staff. Cal currently ranks last among all Pac-10 institutions in terms of training space per student-athlete, and the new building will put us on par with our peers in the conference.  Some of the lawsuits contend that the site for the new center, adjacent to the stadium's west side, is unsafe. However, two government agencies have now confirmed the results of an independent study by Oakland firm Geomatrix Consultants: there are no traces of an active fault under the building's footprint. The confirmations by U.S. Geological Survey and the California Geological Survey refute claims that the new building would be constructed in an unsafe location on the Hayward Fault in violation of the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Zoning Act.

Surrounding Landscape

Others have raised concerns about a grove of trees located on the site of the High Performance Center. While many locations were studied as possible sites; only one fully met the need to provide student-athletes with convenient access to academic and athletic facilities.  Almost all of the trees on the student-athlete center site were planted by the campus -- the result of a 1923 landscaping project -- and are not part of an ancient or historic grove. Cal will preserve nearly all of the trees adjacent to Piedmont Avenue, and will be planting three new trees for every one it removes. Each of the oak trees removed will be replaced by two saplings and one large, nursery-grown specimen tree.

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