University of Virginia Library

Student Petition Urges
Amphitheater Re-Grassing

By PAT GRANEY

CD/Larry Mann

PETITION —

"We the undersigned members of the student
body, consider the McIntire Amphitheater a unique and valuable
asset to the University and deplore its continued use as a parking
lot. We therefore strongly urge the University administration to
remove the parking in the Amphitheater and return it to grass by
next September."

In conjunction with the
controversial movement to
restore the McIntire
Amphitheater, a petition,
"strongly" urging the
University administration "to
remove the parking in the
amphitheater and to return it
to grass by next September," is
currently being circulated
around the Grounds by the
First-Year Council and the
Association of Resident
Councils.

Culminating a month-long
investigation by the
Amphitheater Restoration
Committee about the
feasibility of restoring the
50-year old structure, the
petition was released last week
and has met with
"considerable" success,
according to a spokesman for the
committee.

The group, composed
mostly of students, and a few
faculty members, hopes to
secure at least 4000 signatures
to present to University
President Edgar F. Shannon
Jr., who would presumably
make the final decision about
such a project, according to
University Traffic and Parking
Committee member Lynn Ivey,
a fourth-year student who
authored the petition.

At this time, Mr. Shannon
reportedly does not favor the
project, and would not place it
near the top of the University's
priority list for renovation.

The petition further states,
"We request that it be restored
and will support any effort to
return it to its full potential for
community use."

But, Mr. Ivey said
yesterday, "Our immediate
goal is to have the parking
removed and grass planted by
next fall."

Proponents of the
restoration movement claim
that the amphitheater's present
faculty parking area impedes
the use of the area and
constitutes an eyesore, while
opponents claim that the
whole area will eventually be
changed and it would be
wasteful to make renovations
now.

Mr. Ivey believes that the
administration could be
persuaded with enough student,
community and alumni
support, but said that the
group had encountered
difficulty in reaching these
groups.

"We have heard that there
are a number of people,
especially alumni, who want to
improve the central Grounds
area. I think that they would
be more willing if they knew
the student body supported
them," he added.

Student Council President
Jim Rinaca echoed these
sentiments, and said that a
number of older faculty
members who recall how the
amphitheater was once used
for plays and presentations,
would like to see it restored.

Critics of the proposed
renovation have expressed
concern about the loss of 45
parking spaces and revenue if
the amphitheater were grassed.

Mr. Rinaca and Mr. Ivey
had a civil engineer make a
preliminary investigation of the
project, and he estimated that
complete renovation would
cost about $50,000. Another
landscaper surveyed the project
and said that regressing alone
would probably cost no more
than $1500.

"We realize that the
restoration would be
expensive," Mr. Ivey said,
"but the student body could
help significantly with costs.

Student Council will try to
gauge student opinion on the
amphitheater issue tonight at 9
in Webb Lounge.