http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/inde..._inpu.html
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University plans to replace all 12 residence halls in The Valley area of campus and on Thursday invited input from students and faculty on what they would like to see in new residence halls.
"What one word could ideally descibe the future of WMU?" Doug Campbell, project manager and architect from CannonDesign, asked members of the audience.
The forum at the Bernhard Center was the first of three the design and planning team for the project will hold to discuss plans for the residence halls project and get input from the campus community.
The Valleys are divided into three different sections. WMU hopes to replace the entire neighborhood of 12 halls in the next decade.
The first residence halls to be replaced are Harrison/Stinson halls and Eldridge/Fox halls, which are part of Valley III. The 1960s era-dormitories will be demolished and construction on their replacements is expected to begin early spring of 2018, officials say. WMU hopes to open doors for the 2020-21 academic year, according to a press release.
The cost to live in the new residence halls will be more than living in an older hall, said David Dakin, WMU director of planning, space management and capital projects. Valley III currently houses about 1,000 students.
A total cost of the project is yet to be determined. The going cost of constructing college residence halls is $55,000 to $75,000 per bed. Dakin said does not expect WMU's price to fall on the higher end of the range.
The nearly 30 students and faculty members in attendance were encouraged to voice their concerns and desires for the project. CannonDesign also accepted suggestions over Twitter.
The WMU official Twitter account live-tweeted the event asking students to use the hashtag #WMUValley to voice their opinions. Students' thoughts were also collected through the use of printed cards that could be filled out during the event.
Students asked for amenities such as recreational rooms, computer labs, snack bars and outdoor game areas for basketball or volleyball courts. Along with the amenities, they also said air conditioning and larger room sizes were important to them. Among the dorm perks mentioned, students also voiced their concerns for affordability and environmental impact.
Junior biology major, Abbie Bristol, 21, said one of her favorite parts of the WMU campus is the natural beauty of the outdoor spaces. The environmental studies and sustainability minor said she was concerned about losing some of those natural spaces that benefit the non-student inhabitants of Western's campus such as squirrel, deer and plant life.
"There's a lot of cool stuff you guys are talking about with the halls themselves ... but to see [the old structures] come down and see a new structure come up that impedes on the ecosystem would be a shame and I think definitely a problem," Bristol said during the forum.
Dakin said the university plans to be more environmentally "sensitive" than construction was in the 1960s.
Other concerns from students included parking and thin walls.
The plans to update campus began in 2013. Projects already completed include Western Heights, a new residence hall complex that replaced Bigelow and Hoekje halls in 2015, and the Valley Dining Center.
The Valley Dining Center, which opened its doors to student September 2016, is a two-story facility offering both grab-and-go options as well as restaurants.