UI Gets Warm Response To Flood Replacement Plans

By Mark Carlson, Reporter

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By Jaime Sharer

Story Created: Feb 8, 2012 at 12:47 AM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 8, 2012 at 12:47 AM CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The University of Iowa is getting a warm response to their plans to replace three buildings destroyed by flooding in 2008. On Tuesday, UI officials released preliminary designs of replacements of the Hancher Auditorium, the School of Music, and the Studio Arts building.

“We’re just getting started, but it feels great,” UI president Sally Mason said at a public meeting Tuesday night. “It finally feels as if we’re making the kind of progress that we knew we were capable of three years ago after the flood.”

FEMA will fund more than $250 million of the $386 million plan to replace the three buildings.

“For those of us that lived through the flood, we have all those horrible memories,” said Joan Burns, who lives near Hancher. “It’s just really good to see good news and something bright on the horizon.”

Burns was one of about 200 people to attend Tuesday’s event at the recently renovated Art Building West. University leaders said they were pleased with the large turnout and public interest.

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