Neighborhood activists present new Central Campus concerns

Provost Peter Lange and Durham community leaders were upbeat but noncommittal Wednesday night after leaving a closed-door meeting held to discuss the new Central Campus.

Although the attendees refused to disclose what, if any, decisions were made at the meeting, they said the positive tone and spirit of cooperation between Duke officials and Durham residents was itself a noteworthy development.

"It was a very productive meeting, we're moving forward and the devil's in the details," Lange and Old West Durham Neighborhood Association President John Schelp said jointly outside the Allen Building conference room where the meeting was held.

The group convened to discuss a list of twelve concerns about the new Central Campus that neighbors have distributed on community listservs. The issues range from the percentage of Central Campus that remains open space to the preservation of wetlands and historic houses.

"The fact that the two of us came out here and we're smiling-that's newsworthy," Schelp added. "And that's also Peter Lange."

Neighborhood activists have complimented Lange's negotiating style, but in recent months they have been critical of Executive Vice President Tallman Trask.

Some residents have accused Trask of reneging on promises he made to neighbors in the past, and Schelp said Trask and Vice President of Campus Services Kemel Dawkins were "dragging their feet" in a February column in The Chronicle.

A public follow-up meeting will be held September 6 at Asbury Methodist Church off East Campus.