Hi Oles,
There are two open forums occurring today at the college regarding use of St. Olaf's land. I want to make sure you have accurate information about the purpose of the conversation that is beginning regarding our land.
We own about 500 acres of land, mostly to the north and west of campus, with a couple of little pockets south of Highway 19, that are mainly rented out to farmers right now. The Board of Regents has for several years been wanting to take a look at this land to see whether we're using it in the best possible way for the college.
The problem is that the Board lacks the kind of information they would need to think coherently about the land. They don't know, for example, how much it is worth. If there were a thought to develop some of it for some purpose consistent with the mission of the college, what kinds of legal and political parameters might there be (zoning, and so forth)? In other words, they don't even know for sure what it would be possible to do, should there be a desire to do something different with the land.
There are companies who provide this kind of information to land owners, and the Board has hired one to provide information to them. The company, Boldt Consulting, is an arm of the Boldt construction company that is building the new science complex and has built many other buildings at St. Olaf, including Buntrock Commons. They are a fine company, and good people work for them.
Two consultants from Boldt are on campus today to talk with groups from the college and from Northfield to see what kinds of ideas and thoughts people have about the land in question. This is merely an information-gathering exercise. We are at the very beginning of a long, open process, and there is no pre-determined outcome. No decision to do this or that with the land, or to do nothing at all, will emerge from today's open forums.
The hope is that by June, 2007 the consultants from Boldt will be in a position to give the Board the information they need to think about land use at our college.
Now, here's a very important point: the land in question does NOT include the treasured Natural Lands, nor the composting site, nor the area where StoGrow operates. Most of the land in question is near and north of the Northfield hospital.
The plan is for the consultants from Boldt to spend today listening, then to go away and reflect upon what they have heard and to do other research, and thento return to campus again before the end of this semester to report back on what they have learned so far.
So, the forums today represent the beginning of research that will provide information that will then be the basis of an open conversation about our stewardship of the college's resources. It's the responsible thing to do, especially when--as in this case--there is no hidden agenda, no secret plan but simply a desire to make sure we are doing the right thing with the gifts we have been given.
Your thoughts and comments, as always, are welcome. My email is anderson@stolaf.edu
