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HomeMy WebLinkAboutA002 - Sigma Chi Fraternity Case for Economic Hardship Attachment B . R RECEIVED Sigma Chi Fraternity - Case for Economic Hardship APR 12 2011 CITY OF AMES, IOWA DEPT, OF PLANNING &HOUSING The structure that resides at 2136 Lincoln Way was built in the early'60s and was ready for occupancy in 1963. The house was built in a mid-century modern style and as a result does not now,and never has "fit in"with the character of other Greek Houses at Iowa State University,especially with the row of Fraternity Houses that line Lincoln Way. Our desire is to build an entirely new Sigma Chi Fraternity Chapter House at the current location on Lincoln Way. The new house will be architecturally significant and designed to meet the needs of students in the 21st. Century. The structure will be technologically advanced and incorporate green energy solutions. The current physical structure has become a financial burden to the Sigma Chi House Corporation Board, the active member chapter, and to the alumni who are continuously solicited for monetary support. The Sigma Chi House has ceased to be considered a competitive living arrangement for young men who attend Iowa State University. In recent years,young men have pledged Sigma Chi at ISU "in spite"of the critically deficient housing structure. We have been asked by Planning and Zoning to present to the Ames City Council the economic basis for construction of a completely new Fraternity house as opposed to renovating the existing structure. In an effort to describe our economic challenges we will examine our situation from three points of view. A] From the Corporation Board. B] From young men, (and their parents)attending ISU. C] From our 1,100 living alumni. First,from the point of view of the Sigma Chi Corporation Board the poor physical condition of the house and the need for major renovation and repairs are significant and unaffordable. • The building needs a new roof. We have been quoted a cost prohibitive price to install a new flat roof. The new roof will still leave us with a high maintenance flat roof. • The present kitchen is inoperable because it does not meet code(cited were a lack of hood over the stove and the stove itself). A new, state—of-the-art kitchen does not fit well into the existing structure, i.e. no room for a large pantry, loading dock,chef's office and apartment, counter space and the placement of today's larger more advanced appliances. • The foundation of the house is cracked and as a result there is significant water leakage into the basement that results in mold and mildew problems which are unhealthy for residents of the house. • The basement has little or no ventilation, resulting in an unhealthy environment and an undesirable living space. • Wi-Fi does not work in the basement. • New plumbing is needed throughout the house. In particular,the bathrooms in the house need to be completely redone as sinks urinals toilets, and showers are all in different states of p Y disrepair. Significant leakage throughout the house is a direct result of these problems. p g g g • In general, much of the house is simply broken or out of date. The cost associated with solving the various infrastructure problems is very high for the needed end result. From the point of view of members of the current active chapter,as well as prospective members and their parents. • Today's college students are looking for"suite living". The current layout of the house includes 20 three—man study rooms with a large open air dorm on the second floor,along with a common bathroom and gang-shower. These are common characteristics of a fraternity house built in the'60s, but nothing like the living arrangements desired by today's college students. • High-Tech capabilities need to be available throughout the house. This would include adequate electrical and Wi-Fi capacity. • Design considerations for a house renovation within the current four walls that moves us toward suite-living arrangements reduces the capacity of the house. This will make it difficult to keep semester room and board bills competitive with other living arrangements available on and off campus. The result is a house that is not economically sustainable. • Our architect estimates that a renovation of the existing house to include amenities desired by today's college students would be more expensive than building a new house. Additionally, costly unknowns are always possible with any renovation. • Parents of prospective Sigma Chi's are at best skeptical, and at worse totally"put off", by the present conditions in the house. When parents see the overall living conditions and the lack of a functioning kitchen it becomes difficult, if not impossible,for them to visualize their son living and succeeding as a student and member of Sigma Chi Fraternity while attending ISU. • Membership at Sigma Chi has continued to decline over the past decade due to our inability to attract outstanding young men to join Sigma Chi due to the physical condition of the house. The Chapter struggles to maintain membership at one half of the 60 man capacity. Finally from the Alumni's point of view. The Alumni have hired a professional fundraiser, Pennington &Co.,to help us raise the money necessary to deal with the issues surrounding our Chapter House. During the time Pennington has been under retainer one overriding fact has come to the forefront which provides us with few options for our future. • Of the over 50 alumni interviewed to date most of who are considered to be"major donor" prospects,there is no support for a renovation of the current structure. • There is significant support for the construction of a new Chapter House. As an example,one Alumnus stated, "I would not give you a penny if the plan is to renovate the existing structure but would give you 6 figures towards the building of a new House". • Another Alumnus has stated, somewhat tongue in check with regards to the existing structure, "Estee' Lauder, herself, does not have enough lipstick to fix up this pig". In conclusion,the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Iowa State University is at great risk regarding its'future. We have been members of the ISU Community since 1916, but our 100`h anniversary is in jeopardy. We have provided members of the Ames City Government with preliminary drawings of the new house, both exterior and interior. The cost of this project is estimated at approximately$15M. We believe that a new Sigma Chi House as envisioned will be an outstanding addition to the City of Ames, to Iowa State University, and to the Greek system. We ask the Ames City Council to seriously consider our request for economic hardship and welcome any further discussion with the City of Ames regarding these matters.