Northwestern’s plans to fill in part of the Lagoon, already on the back burner, took another step backward as the construction permit from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency was rescinded at NU’s request, said Joan Muraro, a spokeswoman for the agency.
In a letter to the agency dated Aug. 30, NU Senior Vice President for Business and Finance Eugene Sunshine cited confusion between the construction permit and a permit to continue using the Lagoon for a cooling pond as the reason for asking that the permit be rescinded.
The Illinois EPA now may grant requests for a public hearing on the cooling pond permit after receiving letters asking for one with the hope that it would clear up any confusion on the issue, Muraro said.
“This one has been issued and renewed repeatedly,’ she said. “It would be highly unlikely that someone would raise an issue that hasn’t been raised before.’
The permit to use the Lagoon as a cooling pond must be renewed every five years and NU has had the permit for decades, said Al Cubbage, vice president for university relations.
But controversy on the proposal to fill in four of the Lagoon’s 19 acres brought added attention to the cooling pond permit this time.
Evanston resident Vicky McKinley said she wrote a letter to the Illinois EPA on behalf of the Evanston Environment Board to raise concerns about the project as well as the cooling pond itself.
“We’re concerned that after some time goes on they’ll be interested in applying for (a construction permit) again, so we want to take this chance to comment,’ said McKinley, a microbiology professor at Roosevelt University. “What we want is for the public to be involved and that there be some kind of study done prior to the construction on the effects.’
Although NU had not decided whether or not to pursue the Lagoon construction, there would be “ample opportunity for input’ if plans for the project were put in motion, Sunshine said.
If NU wants to plan Lagoon construction again, the school must apply for a new permit. A public hearing likely would take place before a new construction permit is issued, since the situation has become controversial, Muraro said.
Students initially expressed outrage at the prospect of filling in part of the Lagoon and formed the Northwestern Open Campus Coalition to call for more student input in long-term planning and construction.
Associated Student Government President Rachel Lopez said she only would focus on the issue if students still were concerned with it. But she said she expected students would become upset if construction plans were reignited.
“You’d think if students reacted negatively the first time, they would for sure the second time,’ said Lopez, a Weinberg senior.
Daniel Frommer, a Medill junior who helped establish the coalition, said he thinks students would unite against administrators again if needed, but was unsure if he would attend a public hearing on the issue at this point.
“Would I go to it?’ he said. “Maybe. It would depend on my schedule that day.’
