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Turf Update – “Building for the Future”
Published in The Newsletter of the GCSANE
December 2003
By Dr. Peter Veneman, Department Head
Plant and Soil Sciences
After many months of discussion and planning, UMass Amherst is moving forward with plans for the construction of a new building at our turf research facility in South Deerfield. Thanks to the initial support of alumni and friends and the Stockbridge Foundation, and with the guidance and direction of committed volunteers who represent the turf, sports turf, and lawn care industries, we finally have all the pieces in place to make this long-identified need a reality.
The building itself will be a multi-purpose pre-engineered structure to meet both the immediate and long-term needs of the UMass turf team to advance their teaching and research. The straight-forward design of the building will also lend itself to future expansion as necessary. The building will be approximately 3,000 square feet, roughly half of which is open space to store and repair equipment. The remainder of the building will contain a laboratory to wash, sort and dry plant materials, a conference room, office and bathrooms. This facility will enable our turfgrass faculty to collaborate on a multitude of projects aimed at solving problems for the New England turf industry.
The important pieces are now in place: a site-design consultant has been hired to finalize the building design, and we expect to put the construction out to bid in spring 2004 with a targeted completion date by the close of 2004. While we have secured a strong base to work from, we will need to look for support from alumni and friends in the industry to help raise the additional funds necessary to bring the campaign to a successful close. Looking ahead, we are planning events and activities for 2004 to honor Joe Troll and his many years of service as part of a dedication of the research facility.
I have been in the UMass Amherst Plant & Soil Sciences department for the last 26 years, the last 3 years as department head, and I am convinced that we are a program on the move. This building project represents the first of many improvements to come. We know what we do well, and we know where we can improve and grow. Working as a team we will build this building and will move on to accomplish even more substantial projects in the future with the support of our alumni and friends in the industry.
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