By Nadine Moedt (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: September 26, 2012
Although many students may think primarily of the Abbotsford campus when it comes to UFV, the University has also been a large part of the community in Chilliwack for many years.
The main Chilliwack campus moved from the old location on Yale Road over the course of this summer, and UFV celebrated the opening of its newly renovated space at Canada Education Park (CEP) this past week with a barbeque, live music and prizes.
The new CEP building has many aspects to show off; UFV owns 85 acres of land adjacent to the picturesque Vedder River and Rotary Trail. The project cost $41 million for building renovation and refitting, with an additional $4 million set aside for campus transportation and infrastructure expansion.
Part of this cost was covered by funds from both provincial and federal government, and the remaining costs have been funded by UFV through its capital plan. A part of the funding involved in this plan anticipates the future sale of the old UFV Chilliwack campus on Yale Road.
The new campus has the potential for growth; UFV’s long term plan, according to the UFV website, includes the construction of “a dozen more buildings” using roughly half of the 85 acres UFV owns at CEP.
But now that most of the UFV classes offered in Chilliwack have moved over to CEP, there is the question of what will become of the old Chilliwack campus. According to Craig Toews, executive director of facilities and campus development, UFV is still in the process of selling the land and buildings UFV owns on Yale Road.
“The 27-acre site has three distinct uses – about eight acres of commercial/retail along Yale Road, about five acres of institutional building space, and about 14 acres of residential towards the rear,” said Toews.
However, it may be a while before the campus finds a buyer.
“The market is not ideal right now,” Toews admitted, “but there has been some interest in our property and we are continuing to work with the city to find the right fit for the site.”
And although the property is on the market, the old campus is not entirely abandoned just yet.
Though the once beautifully landscaped property has become a bit unkempt and a single security guard makes the rounds, there is still some life on campus. As the UFV Theatre department prepares for its opening production, Once in a Lifetime, actors and theatre students rehearse in the main performance theatre, preparing for the opening on November 9.
One of the reasons the theatre department has stayed at the Yale Road campus is that theatre space available at the new CEP campus simply does not have the capacity for a production of this size.
Toews stated that while UFV seeks funding for a new theatre facility, there’s no pressure on the theatre department to move.
“While we built a studio theatre at our new campus at CEP, we plan on retaining access to the performance theatre at [the Yale Road location] for five to seven years,” Toews explained.
