The short and long-term environmental impacts of plans to renovate Memorial Union were open to debate in a public forum Wednesday, but voices of opposition failed to materialize in the modest turnout.
The meeting was an opportunity for the public to respond to a report on the project's environmental impact. Released by the consulting firm Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC, on Nov. 18, Environmental Impact Assessment detailed the possible consequences of the project, including the removal of a 150-year-old oak tree that has proven contentious due to its historic nature.
"The short-term impacts are pretty large, but the long-term impacts are large and beneficial so in some degree they offset each other," Cornerstone project manager Ben Peotter said.
Improved building accessibility and functionality, shoreline protection and increased park space from Alumni Park are mentioned in the report as some of the project's long-term benefits.
Roughly 10 to 12 people attended the meeting, none of them students. Peotter attributed the limited turnout to past public forums that have already given people the opportunity to express their concerns about the project.
Wednesday's meeting, held at the Memorial Union's Tripp Commons, marked the end of the required public comment period following the Environmental Impact Assessment.
