Ohio University administrators and Athens representatives gathered last week to brainstorm new goals for a Master Plan to update The Ridges property.
“I appreciate the service of our Ridges Advisory Committee members and deeply value the diverse perspectives that they bring to the table,” said OU President Roderick McDavis in a statement. “Their respective expertise and input will play a key role in determining how our historic 19th Century landmarks can be transformed for use in a 21st Century learning environment.”
The committee will make suggestions for The Ridges’ use to McDavis. Committee co-chairs
Harry Wyatt, vice president for facilities management, and Shawna Bolin, director of university planning and space management, led the discussion which was largely centered on preserving the buildings’ history, said Stephen Golding, vice president for finance and administration, in a statement.
“Based on conversations with committee members, it appears that they are comfortable with the process and structure of the planning team, but want to be assured that there will be opportunity for community input on the plan,” Golding said in a statement.
As a member of the Ridges Advisory Committee, Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins said he hoped there would have been more representation from the community at the meeting.
“I guess I just wanted to get the university view about what they believe this committee should do,” Adkins said.
The meeting also outlined the goals for each of the Ridges Master Plan Committee’s three subcommittees, all within the all-encompassing Ridges Advisory Committee, said Ben Stuart, professor of civil engineering and chair of the existing building strategy subcommittee.
The three subcommittees — on land use and development, existing building strategy, and academic use — have almost all committee members assigned, which were given a December 2014 deadline to have proposals ready, Stuart said.
“There’s already a master plan for The Ridges, but our charge is to update the plan,” Stuart said.
In general there are several options for maintaining the historical elements in the buildings, from restoring the building to its original condition or changing the floor plan and elements outside the building.
The type of restoration that is implemented at The Ridges depends on the subcommittee’s feedback, Stuart said.
“I think safety and risk comes high up on the list for existing buildings, and then the issue is what are we going to use it for,” Stuart said. “I do think there needs to be a period of education for university folks, and I think that’s what this process is doing.”
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