The Orchard Park apartment complex will be demolished this summer, to be replaced by new apartments for students with families by fall 2020.

UC Davis will issue a request for proposals seeking bids for a new family living apartment complex in May. Key criteria in the RFP will be affordability, quality of life and facility design.

The decision follows a consultation and planning process that included graduate student representatives.

“We’re grateful to all who participated in the consultation and planning process and we’re looking forward to a development that expands housing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students with families,” said Grant Rockwell, assistant vice chancellor for capital planning and real estate.

The campus closed the aging complex in 2014. The Student Family Housing Redevelopment Committee delivered its final report in June 2015, highlighting the value of student family housing to the campus, identifying key requirements to meet the needs of students and discussing possible strategies to meet those goals.

Since then, campus planners have consulted with students, Student Housing and Dining Services, and the Office of Graduate Studies on how best to provide affordable, comfortable housing for students with families.

The Orchard Park redevelopment project is among the planned housing projects included in the university’s 2017 Long Range Development Plan, still in draft form. 

— Andy Fell

Repair Café: Fix what’s broken, don’t toss it

UC Davis Waste Reduction and Recycling is opening a different kind of café — the Repair Café! It’s brand new, and, for now, scheduled for only one day: from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday (April 29).

The idea is to bring people together: “repair students” (UC Davis students, staff and faculty only), who have things that need fixing and want to learn how to make repairs; and “repair teachers,” people who know how to fix things. The idea is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, said Sue Vang, manager of Waste Reduction and Recycling, part of Campus Planning and Environmental Stewardship.  

The first Repair Café will focus on electronics waste, which can contain toxic materials, stuff that shouldn’t be getting into landfills. Repairing such equipment also saves precious resources. Note: Repairs will be first-come, first-served, due to limited availability of "repair teachers." If you’re interested in being a teacher, please contact Elizabeth Humphrey by email as soon as possible.

The Repair Café will be held in the Aggie Surplus parking lot on La Rue Road.

Sprocket Bikeway buildings get ‘Sprocket’ names

Two buildings with largely new uses have been renamed — with the monikers coming from Sprocket Bikeway that runs in front of the buildings:

• Sprocket Building — Formerly the Food Science and Technology Building (and the original home of the Department of Environmental Toxicology)
• Sprocket Annex — Formerly the Food Science and Sensory Building

The Department of Food Science and Technology moved into the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science in 2009, and since then the Sprocket buildings have been home to a variety of other programs and departments.

The Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, or HArCS, has been using space in the Sprocket Building since last year, and is now making some interior changes — converting old science labs into studios for design, textile arts, industrial design, and teaching spaces for the Department of Design and the Department of Cinema and Digital Media.

Read Lauren Reibs’ full report.

Buying a bike? Here’s you can cut your costs!

May is Bike Month in the Sacramento region — a time when transit agencies and air quality organizations encourage us to ride and keep on riding throughout the year. For those of you who don’t have bikes, we’ve got some low-cost (or no-cost) solutions:

• UC Davis Bike Auction — Held biannually, the next one is Saturday, May 6. More than 400 bikes will be up for sale. At the last auction, in October, bikes sold for an average of $43! More information.
• May is Bike Month Grant Program — The Yolo Commute organization is offering to reimburse you up to $100 to help get you cycling — you can use the money to buy a bike, gear, key apparel, bike services or bike classes. The grants are for employees of Yolo Commute members — and UC Davis is a member! (The grant program is for employees only, not students.)

If you’re interested in one of these grants, you have until Friday, May 5, to apply. The application is easy. Simply enter your personal information, agree to the terms, and include a cost estimate and explanation what you need and why. For example, you could say you plan to purchase a bike at the UC Davis Bike Auction. Here’s the grant application form.

Questions about the grant program? Contact Yolo Commute’s Julie Audell by email or phone, 530-402-2864. 

Register for May Is Bike Month here.

IN MEMORIAM: Larry Godfrey, entomologist

Larry Godfrey, UC Cooperative Extension entomologist and a faculty member in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, died April 18 of cancer. He was 60.

He was widely known for his research on applied insect ecology and integrated pest management strategies (IPM), particularly for rice and cotton. He was heavily involved in developing IPM to maintain the sustainability of California agriculture, seeking “to reduce the ‘footprint’ of agriculture on the environment and society, and to advance the science of entomology and applied insect ecology.”

Read complete obituary.

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