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H 17°, L 4°University of Wisconsin administrators outlined a proposed plan for new buildings around campus to a city committee Wednesday, including an ice rink in East Campus Mall and an upgraded heating plant on Charter Street.
The new ice rink would be located at 105 E. Campus Mall just west of the Kohl Center, and would serve as a new hockey and swimming facility for UW. Both men’s and women’s hockey teams would practice there, and women’s hockey would compete in the arena. The men’s hockey team currently practices at the Alliant Center, and the lease will end in 2013, according to Gary Brown, director of campus planning.
Offices for both swimming and hockey would also be built in the upper level of the new building.
“It made some sense to get triple, quadruple use out of it, and that was one of the reasons for bringing the swim team out to the site as well,” said project architect Lou Stippich.
The initial planning of the new ice rink design intends to match the overall look of the neighboring Kohl Center. Kahler Slater Architects plan to replicate materials used from the Kohl Center and the overall shape of the Kohl Center. A bridge will connect the two recreational sports facilities and an accessible parking lot will be available for Kohl Center events.
The ice rink design includes an elevated outline of the rink and glass walls across one side of the building. The pedestrian walkway that runs alongside this wall will be well lit from the interior lighting of the pool, according to Stippich. The walkway would also lessen the interference of pedestrian and vehicular traffic after Kohl Center events, Stippich said.
Another possible addition to the new ice rink is a showcase of the history of Wisconsin hockey. The interior of the building will display UW men’s and women’s hockey and will be visible to pedestrians on the exterior through the glass walls.
Members of the Urban Design Commission suggested improvements such as added greenery, clean parking lot designs and making a statue of legendary hockey coach Bob Johnson. They also supported the replication of Kohl Center materials in the architecture of the new building.
Architects from Potter Lawson and UW administration also presented preliminary plans for the Charter Street heating plant. The renovated plant would end the burning of coal and would use a renewable fuel, natural gas boiler.
Alan Fish, UW associate vice chancellor, said a top priority was to make the building aesthetically pleasing to celebrate its environmental efficiency.
“We’re making a transformational investment here,” Fish said. “Let’s celebrate it.”
Architects presented both the ice rink and Charter Street Heating Plant plans to the UDC as an information-based outline, which will continue to be revised.
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Can someone please explain to me why a hockey rink is necessary? We have bigger problems, like professors’ salaries, to tend to.
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Mep: Different pool (pardon the pun) of money. All of this comes from the Athletic Dept, (as well as donors) and not the general funds for the University (i.e. professor’s salaries, etc.).
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Different pool of money??? Then tell me why the hockey addition is being discussed in the state budget. http://www.news.wisc.edu/16805.
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Hi Travis,
The state has to approve the building, even if it’s privately funded. Essentially what happens is that the state borrows money for us and we pay them back entirely through private funds…no cost to the state.
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I will save UW a lot of money with this idea. Build a small shed on the terrace to house a either a snowblower or several shovels. Take those tools in the winter months and clear off a space on Mendota. Please, UW, spend your money wisely and not on things we don’t really need.
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Until the football team starts winning games, I cannot and will not justify any spending on athletic department facilities. Convert Humanities for all I care.
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What does the football team winning have to do with a hockey facility?
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I’m curious as to how much the Athletic Department owes the state government. Granted im sure that private donors make up a substantial amount of the difference, but the athletic department only makes about $2mm/year.
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Now this is stupid. Do we really need a skating rink?! I agree that there are bigger problems to deal with! Instead of spending a fortune on a skating rink, why not use a portion of that money and HIRE people to do a better job at shoveling the snow and de-icing the sidewalks during winter? Or else, save that money and stop raising tuition!
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The money that would fund the hockey/swimming facilities would be raised through private donations and other athletic department revenues. At no point would tax payer or tuition money be used.
In fact, many of the new building projects on the UW campus are privately funded. The proposed music facilities will be built using only private donations. The Chazen expansion was paid for using a private gift. Much of the Grainger expansion was paid for through donations.
It should be noted that tuition dollars are never used for general building projects. Projects are either funded through private gifts sought by the UW Foundation or through a private/public consortium. It is very rare that the state pays for an entire building project. More often, the university must find funds through the UW Foundation and WARF, with the state matching a certain percentage of the funds. The state is more willing to put up funds for building projects that will actually make money. Some money makers include: UW Hospital, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Wisconsin Institutes for Health, and, yes on occasion, certain athletic building projects.
By the way, as students, we often cry fowl with regards to the amount we pay for tuition. But, UW’s tuition rate consistently ranks as the 9th or 10th LOWEST in the Big 10. I do not come from a family of riches, but I believe that I must pay for the education I want. Considering we go to one of the most highly regarded universities in the world, we’re getting quite the deal.
In addition, of UW-Madison’s $2.2 billion budget, approximately 17% of that comes from tuition dollars. That means the total cost of our educational experience is over 5.5 times what we (in-staters) actually pay. Where does the rest come from? About $900 million in federal research dollars (remember how we’re ranked as the No. 1 federally funded research institution?), and the rest is a combination of state funds (about 20%), gifts raised by the UW Foundation, and monies collected through WARF.
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So the new Union South isn’t being funded mostly by student segregated fees? For the people who are graduating this spring, or even next spring, it’s kind of a screw.