Nestled between greenhouses and science buildings, trees almost a century old bear cardboard signs held up with twine.
In choppy block lettering, each one says the same thing: "Tree will be cut down for Life Science." Greenhouse workers did not seem to know who put them up or when, but said the signs are just one indication of community discontent over the construction of the new Life Sciences Building.
The first phase of the new facility -- slated to open in fall 2005 at 38th Street and Hamilton Walk -- is a $57 million project that will add 57,000 square feet of laboratory space to the Biology Department. Construction of the new building requires cuting down 42 trees and putting much of the BioPond Garden in the shade.
"I think most people that come to the garden are upset," BioPond Garden manager Tracylea Byford said of the construction that began this summer.
"There's no denying that the Biology Department needs this building," she added. "I just wish it wasn't being built here."
University officials respond that the decision to place the new Life Sciences Building on the border of the BioPond Garden was a necessary one, and that steps are being taken to minimize garden damage.
"It's essential that the new space be adjacent to the old [Biology Department] space," Associate School of Arts and Science Dean David Balamuth said, noting the reasoning behind the location of the new building. "People need cross-fertilization and interaction with their colleagues."
Calling the discontent over the construction "ironic," Balamuth said that as scientists, biologists were similar to BioPond advocates in their interest in preservation.
"Biology faculty are big fans of green space -- they're not in favor of paving the universe," he said.
University officials have acknowledged that new building will reduce the amount of light to the area but maintain that efforts have been taken to minimize the damage, including bringing in specialists from the Morris Arboretum to supervise the construction.
"We believe at the end of this project, the BioPond will be much more robust and visited and seen really as a wonderful resource," Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik said in an interview in May.
But conerns linger for BioPond advocates.
BioPond Gardener Ann Dixon said the area will lose an herb garden, which will soon be built over, and a butterfly garden, which she says will die from lack of sunlight.
"It's going to completely shade this whole area," she said. "There's no other sun -- they're taking everything from us. Everything."
Dixon said she is not sure what other damage the construction could inflict.
"Some trees can take construction and some can't -- this one can't," Dixon said, pointing to a beech tree. "I hope I'm wrong, but it's going to die."
After watching the BioPond Garden diminish after past construction projects, BioPond workers also worry that the area will continue to be damaged even after construction of the Life Sciences Building.
Created in 1897 by Penn's Botany Department, the BioPond Garden was originally five acres, but quickly shrank to three with the construction of the Medical and Leidy Laboratories. It lost ground once again with the widening of 38th Street and the addition of more facilities during the 1980s.
The University is "forever altering the site," Byford said. "And what's going to stop them? No precedent has been set."
Offering that the facility is unique to the University, Dixon said that officials could use the BioPond as a selling point.
"They could really make it a good thing for them," she said.
Yet, officials indicate that the new facilities are crucial for recruiting students and faculty.
"We have a first rate Biology Department and we need to compete," Balamuth said. "In order to recruit the best... you need new facilities."
The Life Sciences Building will also see a second phase of construction to house the Psychology Department, but the project remains several years away.
Noting that psychology and biology will become more interconnected as technology advances, Balamuth said the close location of the two departments would have "powerful advantages."
Adressing worries about the BioPond Garden, Balamuth noted, "We certainly try when people raise thoughtful concerns -- I'm confident that we have listened and taken these things into account."
