[mville1]

Franklin and Marshall's new football stadium is complete in the northwest section of Lancaster. Plans to relocate the remaining athletic facilities to the northeast side of campus north of Clipper Magazine Stadium are moving forward.

Meet Franklin & Marshall's new home for football and lacrosse, Shadek Stadium

ERIN NEGLEY | LNP

"The new Shadek Stadium will house the college's football team along with women's and men's lacrosse.

After hosting the first football game Saturday, the stadium will anchor an ambitious plan to eventually relocate all athletic fields onto the college's North Campus.

Someday there will be even more athletic facilities surrounding the stadium, college President Dan Porterfield told a crowd before he cut the field’s ribbon with Patty Epps, director of athletics and recreation. That means a new field hockey pitch with a new track, plus new spaces for baseball and softball, as well as all indoor sports.

The work could take up to 30 years, said Mickey Blymier, F&M's director of athletic communications.

Once that happens, he said, there has been discussion of adding an academic or an administrative building at Sponaugle-Williamson Field.

The college is redeveloping part of 77 acres near Clipper Magazine Stadium, replacing brick buildings that were formerly Armstrong World Industries and a Norfolk Southern rail yard."

http://lancasteronline.com/news/loca...a7c89dc56.html

In other Franklin and Marshall news, the new Visual Arts Center on the south side of campus is now in litigation.

North Museum gets November court date in suit to stop construction of F&M College's visual arts center

JEFF HAWKES | LNP

"North Museum will ask a judge next month to halt construction of a visual arts center at Franklin & Marshall College until its concerns about parking, jackhammer noise and demolition-related damage are addressed.

A day after Lancaster County Court granted an emergency motion temporarily halting the project, Senior Judge Joseph Madenspacher on Thursday scheduled a hearing for Nov. 13 and 14 to consider extending the injunction.

Madenspacher, however, modified the order to allow the college to continue obtaining permits, municipal approvals and bids from contractors. The museum did not object.

The college wants to start construction as early as January on the 35,000-square-foot Susan & Ben Winter Visual Arts Center next door to the 64-year-old North Museum of Nature and Science. It plans to demolish the Herman Arts Building to make way for the larger center.

The museum, which leases its building from the college, contends the college’s hidden motive is to repurpose the building, at College and Buchanan avenues, before the lease expires in 2025.

In a court filing, the museum said the college intends to create a construction environment “so impossible” for the museum to operate it will have to “relocate or close its doors altogether.”

The museum said it is concerned that the noise and vibrations from jackhammers could damage delicate artifacts and disrupt visitors’ enjoyment of its exhibits and shows, which include planetarium programs. The museum said it would lose significant revenue.

The museum also said its operations would be disrupted by the college’s plans to replace a boiler and rework electrical and natural gas connections to the building, forcing the museum to close for up to eight days.

The noise and potential loss of power could threaten the lives of the museum’s snakes, scorpions, tortoises and other animals on display, according to the museum.

The museum is also concerned about the loss of parking and access to a loading dock during construction.

It says the college’s construction plans violate the museum’s lease.

In a written statement, a F&M spokesman said the college is pleased with the amended court order and “will continue to work constructively with North Museum to address its concerns.”

http://lancasteronline.com/insider/n...d1e42bf29.html