The Campaign Committee for GVSU's Lake Michigan Center has recommendedthat groundbreaking for the Muskegon project take place on June 14, 2000.
Announcement of the date, which is subject to approval by the GVSU Board of
Control, was made today by Charles E. Johnson II, chairman of the Lake Michigan Center Campaign Committee. The GVSU Board will consider the recommendation at its meeting on April 26.
The campaign has raised $4.7 million toward our goal of $5.4 million for property and the building, Johnson said, and the Committee is confident that we will raise the balance in short order. Therefore, we have urged the university to commence construction as soon as possible. We're ready to go.
Johnson chairs the committee of 15 Muskegon-area civic and philanthropic leaders that agreed to raise $5.4 million for construction of the new home for GVSU's Water Resources Institute at 740 Shoreline Drive in downtown Muskegon. The Shoreline Drive location is presently the site of WRI's Muskegon field station and home port for the university's research vessel W.G. Jackson. The campaign began with a $1 million lead gift from the Community Foundation for Muskegon County and has been followed
by numerous private donations, including major gifts from SPX Corporation and from W.G. and Kathleen Jackson. The State of Michigan, the federal government, the City of Muskegon and the County of Muskegon have also made contributions of cash, services and land for the project.
It's impossible to overstate the importance of this project to the Muskegon area, Johnson said. That's why it has earned such impressive private and public support.
GVSU President Arend Lubbers said he would endorse the Campaign Committee's recommendation when it comes before the Board of Control. All of us at Grand Valley are deeply grateful to the Committee and to the Muskegon community for its generosity, the president said.
WRI Director Ronald Ward says he expects construction to be completed in time to accommodate the conference program Lake Michigan: State of the Lake 2001, a follow-up to the successful GVSU symposium hosted in Muskegon last Fall. We believe that a biennial program will help keep attention focused on Lake Michigan and its importance to our region, Dr. Ward said.
The GVSU Board of Control will review architectural plans for the project at its meeting next week. Assuming approval of the plan and budget, construction can commence this summer and be completed in approximately twelve months. Plans call for a 24,000 square foot research center, to be built on land behind the existing field station and fronting on Muskegon Lake. The new building will house the university's Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute, which would be moved in its entirety to
Muskegon from facilities on the GVSU Allendale campus. The Muskegon Lake site will be built to accommodate the W.G. Jackson as well as visiting research vessels from other universities and research organizations. The Muskegon firm of Hooker DeJong serves as architect for the project.
