Director of Recreational Sports John Horn assured Sustainability Committee members Wednesday environmental efforts will remain a priority in the Rec Sports Master Plan.
Horn, as well as other Rec Sports representatives, presented sustainability aspects of the proposed Master Plan, assuring the achievement of a high environmental standard.
“I can assure you, on record, that we will not be removing sustainability components from our plans in order to save costs,” Horn said. “They will be an investment in our plans 100 percent, I guarantee it.”
Horn highlighted issues at the current recreational facilities that the Master Plan will aim to address, including water waste, air quality and faulty roofing.
The Division of Recreational Sports compared recent remodeling efforts on campus when developing the plan, according to Horn.
Megan Holman, Interim Assistant Director of Facilities, said she worked to ensure the plan remains in line with green initiatives, citing the 68 percent energy savings in the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery.
“We could even probably improve our energy savings more than that,” Holman said, after just looking at current sustainability efforts in the plan.
Horn addressed inquiries of an environmental impact assessment being conducted on the proposal, saying that since no official plans have been approved yet, it would not make financial sense to issue the assessment.
Horn said if the referendum is approved, an environmental evaluation will be conducted on the presented blueprints, and alterations will be made to the plan so that it remains sustainable.
