I am pleased to announce that the subcommittee for the selection of a master planner has recommended that the firm Perkins Eastman Architects of New York City has been selected as our finalist for PSC’s upcoming Master Plan project. Perkins Eastman will be working in partnership with Rickes Associates, who specialize in space planning, JSA Architects for architectural services, Roesch Landscape Architects, BFJ Traffic and Parking Consultants, and Rist-Frost Shumway for engineering services.

We followed a very rigorous process to get to this point. We invited national firms to submit proposals. We received sixteen proposals, narrowed that down to five, then had an hour and a half interview with each of the five firms selected. The committee met earlier today to review our notes and materials from the five interviews. Perkins Eastman was the unanimous choice of the subcommittee.

The next step is to invite Perkins Eastman to campus for meetings and final interviews, and to come to an agreement on the final scope of the project as well as a final contract. I am working with Aaron Schwartz, principal of Perkins Eastman, to establish a date for these meetings within the next three weeks. Nancy Pettengill will contact you soon to set up a meeting time. The schedule of meetings on that day will be as follows: 

1. Interview with President Wharton.
2. Meeting with campus individuals required to supply data necessary for completion of the master plan.
3. Meeting with the Master Planning Committee to define the scope of the plan.
4. Wrap-up meeting with Bill Crangle to begin work on the details.

If you are interested in reviewing the proposal submitted by Perkins Eastman Architects for our master planning effort, I have a copy in my office which you are welcome to view.

One of the most costly elements of this project is the timeline that we set for ourselves. We had established a 17-month window to do the work necessary to have a final plan in time for a presentation to the Board of Trustees in October 2004. We are now working on moving the planning process to a shorter time frame. That will mean a lot more effort and work during the upcoming spring term than we anticipated. For most of you this means more meetings than what I had originally discussed with you. If anyone is concerned about their time and availability during this spring term, I am open to working with you on any alternatives that might be available. Please give me a call.

If there are any other questions or concerns about the process and the direction in which we are going, feel free to call me any time at ext. 2550.

Bill Crangle
Financial Affairs