Groundbreaking for UC Merced Is Delayed

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new University of California campus near Merced has been delayed from May to September, partly as a result of a recent legal challenge, a university official said Friday.

But UC Merced spokesman James Grant said the delay is not expected to keep the campus from opening to students as planned in 2004.

In January, the university’s regents set the stage for the groundbreaking, approving the project’s environmental impact report and plans for construction of its $225-million first phase. The campus, the university’s 10th, is the first new UC branch to be launched since the mid-1960s.

But late last month, three San Joaquin Valley environmental groups filed suit to stop construction, accusing the university of haphazard planning and inadequate environmental reviews for the 2000-acre project.

Critics have said frequently that UC officials, under pressure from the governor’s office and state legislators to complete the campus as quickly as possible, have failed to address its potential environmental impacts. The planned site, northeast of Merced, is in an area of sensitive wetlands and prime grazing and agricultural lands.

The pending suit, filed in Superior Court in Merced County, asked for an injunction against all activity related to the project, until the university is found to be in compliance with applicable environmental laws.

Grant said university officials decided this week to delay the groundbreaking, and a planned inauguration ceremony for UC Merced Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, because of uncertainty stemming from the lawsuit, and possible scheduling conflicts. The opening of a new UC center in Washington, also planned for May, could have made it difficult for many guests to attend both the Washington and Merced ceremonies, the spokesman said.

“We’re still committed to moving forward as fast as we can,” Grant said.

Opponents of the project said they were pleased but not surprised at Friday’s announcement, adding that they anticipate further delays as their lawsuit moves forward.