CSUN Athletics Site Group Meets Tonight

An advisory committee named by CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson to consider the controversial issue of the size and site of new athletic facilities at the university will hold its first meeting tonight.

The CSUN Athletics Facilities Siting Advisory Committee was appointed earlier this month to consider in particular the placement and size of a football stadium, soccer field and baseball stadium, and report to Wilson by Dec. 1.

CSUN representatives on the committee are Paul Bubb, athletic director; James Bracy, professor of Pan-African Studies; Ann Stutts, professor of kinesiology; Tom Tindall, director of facilities planning; and Judith Nutter, assistant director of communications.

A student representative is to be named by the CSUN Associated Students president.

Community members on the panel are David Honda, president of D.S. Honda Construction Inc.; Gerald Picus, CSUN community advisory board representative; Howard Keubler, owner of My Hero Sandwiches, and Barry Pascal, president of the Northridge Chamber of Commerce.

Local homeowners are represented by Robert LoPresti of the Lindley West Coalition and Roger S. Waldbaum of the Northridge Estates Homeowners Assn.

Wilson removed plans for a 15,000-seat stadium on the main campus from the school’s master plan in May under pressure from local neighbors--including LoPresti and Waldbaum. They had threatened to sue and block the multimillion-dollar MiniMed biotechnical complex if the stadium remained in the master plan.

The current 6,000-seat North Campus stadium is to be torn down within the next several years to make room for MiniMed buildings. CSUN currently has no long-range plans for a stadium on campus.

The committee meeting, which is open to the public, will be at 6 p.m. at the CSUN University Club, at the corner of Nordhoff Street and Zelzah Avenue.