UC Berkeley News Brief
Court weighs new evidence in student-athlete training center lawsuits; final ruling expected by June
BERKELEY – Alameda County Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller on Thursday (March 20) presided over a final round of oral arguments regarding the university's construction plans for the new Student-Athlete High Performance Center. At the close of the hearing, the judge indicated she now has all of the information necessary to decide on the three consolidated lawsuits and suggested that her final ruling will be ready some time in the next 90 days.
Thursday's hearing focused on competing expert declarations regarding whether or not the new training facility is a separate structure, and not an addition or alteration to California Memorial Stadium. Were it not a separate structure, the center could be subject to restrictions under the Alquist-Priolo seismic zoning act, which limits the value of additions or alterations to existing structures that, like the stadium, straddle active earthquake faults.
"We welcomed the opportunity to provide the court with this evidence," said Nathan Brostrom, UC Berkeley vice chancellor-administration. "We believe today's testimony, along with the detailed written declarations we submitted, makes it completely clear that the campus has intended from the very beginning to build a separate structure. That was the task assigned to our architects, engineers and building code experts … and that is exactly what they delivered. We're confident that the additional evidence requested by Judge Miller confirms that the Student-Athlete High Performance Center was designed as a discrete building."