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  1. Franklin Ground Squirrels may be on site

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0

    Keith Shank at IDNR responded to the EcoCAT request, with the following note.  "Well, it’s hard to escape those Franklin Ground Squirrels.  In 2010, Ameren observed two FGS near the intersection of Curtis Road and Rt. 45, and ten years ago we had a road-killed FGS at Windsor Road and Rt. 45.  Ameren opined they could be all up and down the RR corridor, which the western end of your project area happens to lie against.

    It may be possible the FGS are in the area around the farm buildings, but they would be unlikely to be out in the experimental plots, at the moment.  However, depending on the type of solar energy facility being proposed, they might be able to colonize the solar farm.  While that would be good for the FGS, it could complicate subsequent operations and maintenance of the facility.  Remember that they love any kind of soil stockpile, so be careful where you stack any dirt and how long you might leave it there."

  3. Progress with MTD, Zipcar, and Chilled Water extension project

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Active Transportation

    There is a Chilled Water extension project planned for this summer and fall along Springfield Avenue from Mathews to the Grainger Crosswalk.  The Crosswalk pavement and ramps will be upgraded at that time, for enhanced pedestrian safety.

    Met with the Parking Department and MTD about the costs for transit service and faculty/staff access for the University in the new MTD contract for FY13-15.

    Met with the Zipcar partners in town about the status of the Zipcar program in the community.  Our account rep will be changing for the first time in a couple of years, and we are eager to keep the program running strong.

  4. Bicycle Facilities and Programs Projects Continue

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Active Transportation

    Student intern met with employees at Christopher Hall to make recommendations for new bike parking.

    Submitted additional information about bike parking to the SSC, and were granted an award for $250,000 to revamp existing bike parking areas at various key locations throughout campus.

    Campus Transportation Committee met and reviewed all bike related iCAP projects. 

    Bike sharing survey went live from the LINC course, as described above.

    Staff met with employees at the Arboretum to make recommendations for new bike parking near the parking lot between the Idea Garden and the Japan House.

    Staff met with Housing representatives to discuss a potential pilot trial of distributed bike parking enforcement.  This would allow F&S to train and authorize certain key facility managers in proper procedures for impounding bikes parking improperly.  Housing will draft a proposal in the next few months, then F&S will discuss the merits with appropriate campus representatives (such as Legal Counsel, the Parking Department, and Campus Planning) and determine how to proceed.

    Sample Varsity Bike racks were provided for a one-year free trial to Champaign County Bikes.  The Architecture Review Committee approved testing them at the east side of the Illini Union.  The Union’s approval is pending an approval from SSC for the bike parking improvements at the southwest corner, with FY10 SSC funding.

  7. Undergrads and Graduates work on Sustainability Projects

    Associated Project(s): 
    Independent Student Projects

    Working with James Scholar in Barbara Minsker’s engineering class to make recommendations related to sustainability for the Grainger crosswalk on Springfield.

    Staff hosted interviews with about a dozen Rhet 105 students about various sustainability topics.

    Urban Planning masters student Marcus Ricci is doing a GIS project about bike parking capacity in relationship to the buildings they serve.

    The LINC U of I Bikes section sent out a bike sharing survey and had a great response rate, a summary will be available by the end of the spring semester.

  11. Monthly press on sustainability on campus

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    Engineering News Record is doing a story on the University of Illinois about green buildings/LEED certification.

    Daily Illini article about campus sustainability progress.

    Staff created flowcharts for sustainability themes, as preliminary step to filling in the content on the Sustainability Portal website.  Staff provided field definitions and sample data for the database tables that will be available through the portal.  Also, we met with staff from MSTE and drafted the page layouts for the website, which will be shared at the iCAP Forum in April. 

  12. Engagement with other schools, information sharing

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainability Engagement and Outreach

    We participated in meeting with representatives from Columbia, Missouri about their transit goals.  Articles were written about the visit: http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2012/mar/13/gold-standard/, http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/03/13/final-bus-trip/, and http://wjf.im/xkmY5f.

    We also provided information to Arizona State University about our bike registration system and intentions.

  16. Biogasification power plant talk

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass use on Campus

    F&S met with representatives from the Center for Neighborhood Sustainability to continue discussion of potentially building a biogasification power plant off campus for production of biogas as an alternative fuel for power generation for campus.

  17. EcoCAT documentation initiated

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0

    IDNR staff will review the project because the Franklin's Ground Squirrel may reside there. They state they will require thirty days of review. The Franklin’s Ground Squirrel resides in culverts and areas with low shrubs and prairie grasses and not in cultivated farm areas. Most of the Solar Farm area has been farmed for years.

  18. RFP released and notices sent to community

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Farm 1.0

    From: Jack Dempsey Subject: Solar Farm letter ready to go In the interest of keeping an open dialogue with our neighbors, I would like to inform you that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pursuing the development of a 28.5-acre solar farm on the campus’s South Farms. The attached fact sheet describes the details of the project, including specifics of the proposal, expected timeline, and frequently asked questions about solar farms. This information will be sent to the residents on First Street near the proposed site, with the attached letter. I’m also including the full RFP here in case you are interested. This is expected to go live tomorrow. If you have any questions or suggestions as we move forward with this project, please contact Morgan Johnston, our Sustainability Coordinator copied here. Thanks, Jack RFP and subsequent amendments are online at http://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?Uni=UIUC&PN=1KSP....

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