Starting next month, after graduation ceremonies, pre-construction activity will begin at the southwest corner of 25th Street and Forest Avenue, the future site of the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club.

Drake and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Iowa are partnering to bring the new Club to campus. Scheduled to open fall 2019, the new Club will be the third in the country to be built on a private college campus. It will provide after-school and summertime programs focused on education, healthy lifestyles, and character and leadership development to more than 170 K-12 students in its first year.

On May 21, a perimeter construction fence will be erected surrounding the site and access to parking lots 9 and 10 will no longer be available. Pre-construction activity includes the removal of paving, relocating of utilities, grading, and tree removals.

In 2015, Drake’s campus tree care policy was revised for the purpose of identifying standards pertaining to procedures and practices used in establishing, protecting, maintaining, and removing trees on campus. The goal of the plan was to ensure a safe, attractive, and sustainable campus urban forest.

Complying with the plan, and as part of the Boys & Girls Club project, an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist with Perficut Companies completed a tree evaluation in collaboration with Drake’s Grounds Department to assess the health of existing trees, assist in determining the impact of the proposed improvements, and to develop recommendations for tree protection.

Following the evaluation, it was determined that 29 trees must be removed to complete the construction project. However, once construction is complete, 38 new trees will be planted around the new building and streetscape. These trees include: White Pine (4), Prairie Gold Aspen (22), Red Oak (5), and Japanese Tree Lilac (7).

Visit bgcci.org/club-pathways1 to learn more about the Gregory & Suzie Glazer Burt Club. View more information on the project or the Drake Campus Tree Care Plan policy below.

Campus Tree Care Plan
BGCCI Demolition Plan
BGCCI Landscape Plan

— Kevin Moran, Facilities Planning and Management