LEGAL NOTICE
Public Hearing and Notice of Release
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
Proposed Science Lab Building
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
A public hearing to present the findings of the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed UW La Crosse Science Lab Building will be held at 5:30 PM on Thursday, May 7, 2015, in the Ward Room of the Cartwright Center (1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI). A brief description of the project and identified impacts will be presented. All persons in attendance will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any support, issues, or concerns they believe should be addressed in the Record of Decision (ROD) for this proposed project. The EIS for the Science Lab Building project is prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes1.11 and University of Wisconsin System (UW System) guidelines. The project manager is the state Department of Administration’s Division of Facilities Development (DFD). Cornerstone Environmental Group has been retained to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on behalf of the UW System for this proposed project. The intent of the EIS process is to identify the potential positive and negative impacts of the project to the physical, biological, social and economic environments.
The proposed new Science Lab Building will design and construct a complete replacement of Cowley Hall, the UW-La Crosse science instruction facility. Upon completion, the facility will consist of a connected building that will include teaching and research labs, classrooms, offices, collaborative learning spaces and gathering areas, and all other spaces required to accommodate the instructional programs in the physical and life sciences. The project will be broken into two phases. Phase I will include a 108,000 Assignable Square Feet (ASF)/180,000 Gross Square Feet (GSF) building sited on an existing surface parking lot located immediately north of the existing campus science building (Cowley Hall). Constructed spaces include instructional and research labs required to accommodate delivery of the curriculum in the physical and life sciences, along with miscellaneous building support spaces. In Phase II the project will demolish the existing Cowley Hall and construct a 93,000 ASF / 148,000 GSF structure that will satisfy the balance of the program needs. Phase II constructed spaces include classrooms, collaborative learning spaces, office, conference and all other ancillary departmental and building support spaces.
The Final EIS is made available to the public for a minimum 30-day review period beginning April 8, 2015 and ending May 7, 2015, and is circulated to appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. A public hearing will be held on the Final EIS. Comments and inquiries raised on the Final EIS are used to develop the ROD which details the impacts of the project and is circulated to key individuals and agencies involved in the EIS process.
Copies of the Final EIS will be made available at UW-La Crosse Murphy Library and La Crosse Public Library and online at http://www.cornerstoneeg.com/uw-lacrosse_science-lab.
Comments on the Final EIS may be submitted until May 4, 2015 to: Susan Mockert, Cornerstone Environmental Group, 8413 Excelsior Drive, Suite 160, Madison, WI 53717 or email .