University of Minnesota to host public meeting on St. Anthony Falls Laboratory renovation project Aug. 2
What:
Public meeting on St. Anthony Falls Laboratory renovation project
When:
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 2
Where:
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Auditorium
2 Third Ave. S.E., Minneapolis
Contacts:
Tim Busse, University Services, busse006@umn.edu, (612) 624-2863
Jeff Falk, University News Service, jfalk@umn.edu, (612) 626-1720
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (07/12/2011) - With federal assistance from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the regents of the University of Minnesota are proposing to renovate the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research center of the university's College of Science and Engineering. The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory comprises a main laboratory building and an Outdoor Stream Laboratory located in the adjacent wasteway. The renovation will make possible significant advances in key research areas of energy and the environment.
NSF and the university, seeking further public participation in the design of the renovation, invite interested persons to attend a public meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, in the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Auditorium, 2 Third Ave. S.E., Minneapolis. The purpose of this meeting is to describe the main elements of the preliminary architectural design, show examples of the research opportunities that will be possible with the renovated laboratory and to elicit public comments on potential effects the project may have on this historic property and historic district.
The University of Minnesota first considered building a hydraulic laboratory to use the water power at St. Anthony Falls as early as 1908.The plan came to fruition in the mid 1930s as a result of the transfer of city-owned land at the site to the university, the cooperation of the St. Anthony Falls Water Power Co., and, most importantly, the availability of funds through the Federal Works Progress Administration. Construction began in 1936 and was completed in 1938.
The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory is located within the Mississippi River National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA) as designated by Congress. The laboratory is, along with a number of other historic components, a contributing element of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and locally designated by the City of Minneapolis.
The University has been awarded a grant from the NSF's Academic Research Infrastructure Program: Recovery and Reinvestment (ARI-R²) Program to design and, potentially, construct a portion of the project, which assistance renders the project a federal undertaking pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (“Section 106”), 16 U.S.C. Section 4700(f), as amended.
NSF, the University, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the National Park Service (NPS), the City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission and the Mississippi Riverfront Corp. have been engaged in consultations as consulting parties in accordance with Section 106 and 36 CFR 800.2(c).
The University has deployed a publicly accessible website that describes the project and the opportunities for input by interested parties. See http://saflr3.umn.edu. This website contains information about the project, including the evolution of its design, its effects on historic properties and its potential for promoting discovery in science and engineering.
For more information, contact James Litsheim, U of M Capital Planning and Project Management, at litsh002@umn.edu (612) 624-4359.