Vertical construction to start in January on Ave Maria campus
Courtesy Naples Daily News
By JENNA BUZZACCO, jmbuzzacco@naplesnews.com
December 30, 2005
Soon the 5,000 acres of land between Camp Keais and Oil Well roads will be bustling with activity.
"In January, vertical construction on the new campus and town is scheduled to begin," said Ave Maria University President Nick Healy. "Soon you'll finally be able to see something besides clouds of dust."
The first building to be complete isn't very glamorous, Healy said, but it does mark the beginning of a journey to create a permanent home for Ave Maria University and town.
The first building to be erected is expected to be the central plant, with the library and town center soon to follow, said Barron Collier Cos. President Paul Marinelli.
The campus will occupy about 1,000 acres of the 5,000 acres set aside about five miles southwest of Immokalee for the university and community. It's a significant increase from the 12 acres the temporary campus occupies in the Vineyards in North Naples, Healy said.
"There will be room for substantial increases," Healy said.
If the student population continues to grow at the rate it has been, the university may need to use the room to expand sooner than expected.
When school started at the temporary campus in August 2003, campus officials estimated that 100 students had enrolled.
This year, the university estimates about 400 students are en rolled, and Healy said he expects about 550 students to be enrolled in the university for fall 2007.
"Everything will be much larger," Healy said.
Fall 2007 will mark the first year students will be at the permanent campus. It's also when Healy expects that the majority of people will begin moving into the new faith-based community.
The town will offer several op tions for people who want to move to Ave Maria town, Marinelli said. Residential properties have not been put on the market yet, but Marinelli said his company has received several thousand inquiries about the residential properties.
Marinelli said he expects the first of the residents to move to the town in spring 2007.
One place people will be able to live is in the town center, Marinelli said. The six-building complex will house retail space on the ground floor, while condos will occupy the space on the floors above.
"It will be comparable in quality of those on Fifth Avenue South," Marinelli said.
While it will not be mandatory for faculty and staff members to live in the community, Healy said, he expects many will make the move. Healy said he expects about 1,000 families will have moved to the community by the end of 2007.
While construction began in January, the official groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Feb. 17, 2007.
The ceremony originally was scheduled for early in November, but was rescheduled after Hurricane Wilma hit Oct. 24.
"We didn't think it was seemly to have a big celebration while others were struggling," Healy said.
Instead, officials canceled the lavish ceremony and donated $50,000, which had been set aside to pay for the ceremony, to the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee.
While the groundbreaking ceremony won't be as large as originally planned, Healy said, the excitement of the event will still be in the air.
"If anything , we're in season now and a lot of people who may not have come down in November will be down here in February," Healy said.
The February groundbreaking is just the first of several events planned for February, Healy said.
The month is expected to be busy with conferences and the university's first art festival.
On Feb. 8 and 9, community members are invited to the "John Paul II and the Holy Land" conference. The conference will bring together Christian and Jewish scholars to discuss Pope John Paul II's work regarding the Holy Land.
"It's an all-star conference," Healy said.
Healy said the keynote speaker for the event will be George Weigel, Pope John Paul II's biographer.
Religious leaders from across the country are expected to flock to Ave Maria University for a pastor's conference Feb. 21-23. It will feature Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Dicocese of Rockford, Ill., as the keynote speaker.
The most exciting event may be the university's festival of arts, Healy said.
The three-day festival, scheduled for Feb. 24-26, will feature the performing arts, music and visual arts. Students will perform an original play, and author Michael Novak will be among the speakers. Novak has written more than 25 books, most of which have dealt with modern theological issues. Novak's work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The New Republic.
But what may be the highlight of the three-day festival is the art auction, Healy said.
"We're going to auction off the use of a Renoir," Healy said.
"Whoever makes the highest bid can display it wherever they want for the year they purchased it for."
Healy said all of the details have not been ironed out for how the auction will be handled, but that university founder Tom Monaghan has volunteered to auction off the use of the painting.
The festival of arts fits in with an artistic theme the university has planned for its lifelong education classes this winter. Many of the classes have to do with the role art will play within the university and town.
But with all of the changes happening to the permanent campus, students who are attending Ave Maria University have little to worry about when it comes to changes to their temporary home, Healy said.
"I think our curriculum is pretty well set," Healy said. "We may be expanding, but we won't be adding any new majors."
There won't be any changes to the interim campus, either, Healy said. Instead, all of the attention will be placed on creating a permanent home for the university.
Soon the 5,000 acres of land between Camp Keais and Oil Well roads will be bustling with activity.
"In January, vertical construction on the new campus and town is scheduled to begin," said Ave Maria University President Nick Healy. "Soon you'll finally be able to see something besides clouds of dust."
The first building to be complete isn't very glamorous, Healy said, but it does mark the beginning of a journey to create a permanent home for Ave Maria University and town.
The first building to be erected is expected to be the central plant, with the library and town center soon to follow, said Barron Collier Cos. President Paul Marinelli.
The campus will occupy about 1,000 acres of the 5,000 acres set aside about five miles southwest of Immokalee for the university and community. It's a significant increase from the 12 acres the temporary campus occupies in the Vineyards in North Naples, Healy said.
"There will be room for substantial increases," Healy said.
If the student population continues to grow at the rate it has been, the university may need to use the room to expand sooner than expected.
When school started at the temporary campus in August 2003, campus officials estimated that 100 students had enrolled.
This year, the university estimates about 400 students are en rolled, and Healy said he expects about 550 students to be enrolled in the university for fall 2007.
"Everything will be much larger," Healy said.
Fall 2007 will mark the first year students will be at the permanent campus. It's also when Healy expects that the majority of people will begin moving into the new faith-based community.
The town will offer several op tions for people who want to move to Ave Maria town, Marinelli said. Residential properties have not been put on the market yet, but Marinelli said his company has received several thousand inquiries about the residential properties.
Marinelli said he expects the first of the residents to move to the town in spring 2007.
One place people will be able to live is in the town center, Marinelli said. The six-building complex will house retail space on the ground floor, while condos will occupy the space on the floors above.
"It will be comparable in quality of those on Fifth Avenue South," Marinelli said.
While it will not be mandatory for faculty and staff members to live in the community, Healy said, he expects many will make the move. Healy said he expects about 1,000 families will have moved to the community by the end of 2007.
While construction began in January, the official groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Feb. 17, 2007.
The ceremony originally was scheduled for early in November, but was rescheduled after Hurricane Wilma hit Oct. 24.
"We didn't think it was seemly to have a big celebration while others were struggling," Healy said.
Instead, officials canceled the lavish ceremony and donated $50,000, which had been set aside to pay for the ceremony, to the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee.
While the groundbreaking ceremony won't be as large as originally planned, Healy said, the excitement of the event will still be in the air.
"If anything , we're in season now and a lot of people who may not have come down in November will be down here in February," Healy said.
The February groundbreaking is just the first of several events planned for February, Healy said.
The month is expected to be busy with conferences and the university's first art festival.
On Feb. 8 and 9, community members are invited to the "John Paul II and the Holy Land" conference. The conference will bring together Christian and Jewish scholars to discuss Pope John Paul II's work regarding the Holy Land.
"It's an all-star conference," Healy said.
Healy said the keynote speaker for the event will be George Weigel, Pope John Paul II's biographer.
Religious leaders from across the country are expected to flock to Ave Maria University for a pastor's conference Feb. 21-23. It will feature Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Dicocese of Rockford, Ill., as the keynote speaker.
The most exciting event may be the university's festival of arts, Healy said.
The three-day festival, scheduled for Feb. 24-26, will feature the performing arts, music and visual arts. Students will perform an original play, and author Michael Novak will be among the speakers. Novak has written more than 25 books, most of which have dealt with modern theological issues. Novak's work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The New Republic.
But what may be the highlight of the three-day festival is the art auction, Healy said.
"We're going to auction off the use of a Renoir," Healy said.
"Whoever makes the highest bid can display it wherever they want for the year they purchased it for."
Healy said all of the details have not been ironed out for how the auction will be handled, but that university founder Tom Monaghan has volunteered to auction off the use of the painting.
The festival of arts fits in with an artistic theme the university has planned for its lifelong education classes this winter. Many of the classes have to do with the role art will play within the university and town.
But with all of the changes happening to the permanent campus, students who are attending Ave Maria University have little to worry about when it comes to changes to their temporary home, Healy said.
"I think our curriculum is pretty well set," Healy said. "We may be expanding, but we won't be adding any new majors."
There won't be any changes to the interim campus, either, Healy said. Instead, all of the attention will be placed on creating a permanent home for the university.
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