Steve Young said he doesn’t think Charleston residents had their say back in 2000 and 2001 when the location of a new steam plant was decided.

Young lives in the Lakewood subdivision, which is located near the Highway 130 location where Eastern’s Renewable Energy Center will be built.

President Bill Perry met with approximately 25 residents on Jan. 13 at the Neal Welcome Center to hear suggestions regarding the design and external appearance of the Renewable Energy Center.

Residents living nearby the center’s location on Highway 130 were specifically invited to attend the meeting.

Perry sat to take down each suggestion.

Young and other residents in attendance had other concerns beyond just the design aspects.

Young, the first to make a suggestion, said he would like to see an alternate location for the plant.

He said when the location for the plant was changed in the Campus Master Plan about eight years ago the community did not get to give their input.

Young said had they known the university was going to put a plant in that location to begin with, there would have been less surprise now.

He suggested sites across the street from the current location or by Lantz Arena.

“Can we do these things?” Young said. “Or is it too late to consider these?”

Another resident in attendance suggested moving the energy center as close to Carman Hall and the existing campus as possible and farther away from residential areas.

Perry responded that the site cannot be changed.

He said the plant’s location had been selected through a process of analysis and that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss suggestions on design for the given site.

“But you’re still putting a plant in the middle of a residential community,” Young said.

Perry said the reason for the meeting was to get proposals from the community to soften that impact.

Brock Ashley, project manager for Curry Construction and resident of the Fields subdivision, made the suggestion to turn the building so it faces south with the interest off Edgar Drive.

“If everyone understands this is the site, maybe we can work together to find something that’s more aesthetic,” Ashley said.

He also suggested making the silo smaller or making multiple silos.

“You’ve got a very large silo in the design,” he said.

He said it’s a height issue and suggested even a horizontal silo.

“The lower the facility is, the less obvious it is,” Ashley said.

Young suggested an underground storage as a silo.

“That would probably be the best solutions for us,” he said.

Young said an underground option would be even better than multiple or horizontal silos, and said he presumed it would also reduce noise.

“We would like the building to look very pleasing,” Young said.

Suggestions from residents in attendance included brick, glass, not metal and earth tones.

Young said he would like it to look less industrial.

Perry said the university may need to come up with some architectural concepts for residents to look at.

Ed Thomas, an Eastern alum and resident of Lakewood said that since the university has put so much effort into the beauty of the campus, most recently with the Doudna Fine Arts Center, the same should be done with the energy center.

Since the location of the center is on the east entrance of campus, Thomas said the university doesn’t want to put an eyesore there.

“Welcome to Eastern. Look at this,” Thomas said.

Other questions brought up were for a more in-depth look at what air pollutants will come from the plant, for comparisons with other similar facilities and for overall environmental hazards from the plant.

Sound, smell and lighting were also questioned at the meeting.

Perry said he would work with Jill Nilsen, vice president of external relations, to get this information out to residents.

“Whatever we do has to be respectful to all the environments we’re in,” he said.

Perry is still accepting suggestions through the end of the week. He said they can be sent through e-mail at wlperry@eiu.edu or brought in to the president’s office.

Perry said he would take back all the suggestions and consult with individuals on campus.

He will meet again with residents from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Charleston Carnegie Public Library. At this time, he will present possible things the university could do with regard to design.

“It may not be actual total design, but I’ll tell you the direction we’re heading,” Perry said.

The energy center project is currently still sitting under analysis, he said.

Emily Zulz can be reached at 581-7942 or at eazulz@eiu.edu.

After discussing the structural details of the proposed plant Ed Thomas, Charleston Lakewood resident, proposes a couple of architectural suggestions for the plant during a meeting with President Bill Perry on Tuesday afternoon in the Neal Welcome Center.

(more…)