Bakery might
become site
for new UO arena
Plans fora new basketball stadium move forward
again after cost overruns last year stalled them
BEN BROWN
NEWS REPORTER
Plans for a rebuilt and modernized
McArthur Court are moving forward
at the Williams Bakery site, though
not as quickly as originally planned.
University Vice President for Ad
ministration Dan Williams — who is
not affiliated with the bakery — said
work has been going on behind the
scenes since University President
Dave Frohnmayer stalled the project
indefinitely in February 2004 because
of its $ 180 million pricetag.
At that time, the University was plan
ning to build on its secondary site at
Howe Field, at the comer of University
Street and East 18th Avenue.
"We didn't have a plan we thought
was affordable," Williams said.
Since then, the owners of Williams
Bakery, located on East 13th Avenue,
Columbia Street and Villard Street,
have become more willing to selling
the land. Williams said the University
has been working with bakery owners
on a relocation effort that would free
up the land for University purchase.
"From the beginning, the bakery
was our primary site," Williams said.
Williams said it is still too early in
the process for a price estimate and
no plans have been drawn up or con
tractors hired.
After more than a year of planning
and consideration, the University set
tled on a list of seven sites for consid
eration. The primary sites considered
were Howe Field and the current site
of Williams Bakery. Both of these
sites were popular because of their
proximity to campus.
Frohnmayer announced his ap
proval of the new sports arena in
August 2003.
In October 2003 Frohnmayer an
nounced that the University had set
tled on its secondary site — Howe
Field — for the new sports facility. Fi
nal plans for the project included a
training center and a two-story, 670
space parking garage.
The parking garage was meant to
allay concerns of people living south
of the University. Attendance of
Ducks basketball games exacerbates
parking difficulties and traffic in the
neighborhood during winter.
Peg Peters, president of the South
University Neighbors Association
said residents of the neighborhood
raised concerns that a new, larger
structure would bring more traffic.
The real trouble began in Novem
ber 2003, when the University Senate
voted unanimously to censure the
University for the method by which it
selected Howe Field as the area for
the new arena. The Senate said the
University failed to submit its plan to
the Campus Planning Committee as
per University policy.
Business professor and Senate
member Mike Russo presented the
resolution to the Senate to express his
opposition to the plan and remedy
the situation.
“There is a profound sense that
this system is out of balance,” Russo
said. “We have planning processes
for a reason.”
Williams admitted he did not fol
low policy.
“It wasn’t really relevant to what
we’re doing today,” Williams said,
adding that the policy was written
in 1983.
Further problems occurred in Janu
ary 2004 when the estimated cost of
the arena jumped $20 million to a total
of $180 million, twice as much as the
$90 million initial estimates called for.
The University managed to raise
$100 million in philanthropic dona
tions for the project. Most of the mon
ey came from Nike Chairman and CEO
Phil Knight and Pat Kilkenny, chair
man of The Arrowhead Group.
Williams said the project is now
moving forward slowly.
“We expect to build the arena if we
find land that works,” he said.
benbrown@ daily emerald, com
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Review: Residence halls receive low rating
Continued from page 1A
standard double room offers 148
square feet of living space and in
cludes a bed, desk and closet space.
A deluxe double is 300 square feet.
The most spacious rooms are in
Barnhart Hall where a standard dou
ble is 264 square feet and includes
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Eyster said he knows that the resi
dence halls need to be improved. He
has been told that students have
come through the University and
had second thoughts about coming
here after seeing the residence halls.
“To attract the students we want
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residence halls,” Eyster said.
Eyster said those concerns are
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However, since the Living
Learning Center won’t be complet
ed until fall 2006, in the meantime
Housing provides students with
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agement staff and offer feedback
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To see how the University rated in
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year’s survey, go to www.princeton
review.com.
benbrown@dailyemerald.com
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