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Home My WebLink AboutA003 - Letter from ISU regarding plan to improve front door to campus IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Office of the Vice President OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY for Business and Finance 135o Beardshear Hall Ames, Iowa 50011-2038 515 294-6162 FAX 515 294-t621 February 1, 2007 Michelle Van Beek General Manager Comfort Suites 2609 Elwood Drive Ames, IA 50010 Subject: Elwood Drive Name Change Dear Ms. Van Beek: As we indicated last fall, the university has been developing a plan to improve the front door to the campus creating a memorable entry experience, and improving way-finding and destination identification signage and visual markers. The Elwood Drive and Highway 30 intersection has become the primary entryway to the campus with more than 1.5 million visitors a year approaching from this intersection. This corridor includes some of the university's most visible and frequently used facilities: Reiman Gardens, Jack Trice Stadium, Hilton Coliseum, Scheman Building and Stephens Auditorium. Add to these the new Alumni Center, expanded athletic facilities and access to central campus, we will have increasing numbers of visitors. Data indicate that prospective students and their parents are significantly influenced by their first impressions, and the university would like to improve that image. The enclosed South Campus Gateway image, which also can be accessed online at htti)://www.ft)m.iastate.edu/i)lanniniLy/masteri)lan/Design Book Final.pdf, summarizes the university's proposed plan. It makes a number of recommendations for improvements. The Iowa State University Foundation has completed fundraising for the first phase, the gateway structure. We anticipate that additional improvements will be done over a number of years and much of it will be dependent upon private fundraising. The goal is to reassure visitors they have arrived at the university. As part of the university's sesquicentennial celebration during 2007-2008, we are working with the Department of Transportation on the highway and interstate signage. The majority of the land along Elwood Drive is university property, but Elwood Drive is a city street. One of the recommendations is an Elwood Drive name change to a name that better relates to the university. The recommendation is "University Boulevard." This name change would greatly assist visitors in identifying the exit leading to campus. This change would extend along the length from the south city limit to the current north terminus at Stange Road. Many of the businesses primarily south of Highway 30 have customers associated with the campus, and we believe this change will be an asset. As a business with a current Elwood Drive address we would like your support and Michelle Van Beek February 1, 2007 Page 2 approval of the name change, which requires Ames City Council action. We hope to have Council approval in February, and the DOT will be working with the university to make highway sign changes this summer. We are aware that a street name change could result in some costs or inconvenience, and the university would like to work with you to minimize its impact. Our goal is to have the change occur before the Fall 2007 academic year begins. Elwood Drive is named after a distinguished landscape architect at Iowa State who we want to continue to honor. The university will be proposing an appropriate way to continue recognizing his distinguished contributions to Iowa State and the field of landscape architecture. The gateway planning study will create a front door experience for the university. It complements the city's other entryway projects. The City of Ames has requested that we contact all of the businesses with Elwood Drive addresses, making you aware of and seeking concurrence with the name change. If there are specific concerns that need to be addressed, I would be more than willing to meet at your convenience to answer any questions and see how the university might help to accomplish the name change. We look forward to working with you to implement this change. We would appreciate receiving your acknowledgement of the university's request to change the name of Elwood Drive to University Boulevard by returning one signed copy of this letter in the envelope provided. Very truly yours, lze',ze, Warren R. Madden Vice President for Business and Finance Enclosure cc: "Steve Schainker We have no objection to the name change. 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