WKU McChesney Field Campus Western Kentucky University (WKU) Dedication Ceremony August 04, 2009 Article Date: September 02, 200 DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC is honored to have the opportunity to work with Western Kentucky University (WKU) and Mr. Donald Smith, Executive Director, Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving for WKU, on this very special McChesney Field Campus Project. The McChesney family graciously donated the 140-acre property to Western Kentucky University (WKU). The property is situated in northern Warren County just off Austin Raymer Road near the Anna community and along the Green River. The McChesney property appeared to be landlocked with no legal access to a public roadway. Austin Raymer Road, a Warren County road, was the nearest public road to the property. DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC was asked to research public records with regard to access for the property. The lack of conclusive recorded evidence for access lead to DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC ultimately providing documentation for establishment of an Ingress and Egress easement across the lands of James and Sue Rogers to the McChesney farm’s eastern-most boundary line, a common line between McChesney and Rogers. The project commenced with an initial site visit. In attendance at the meeting were Dennis D. Smith, PE, PLS and Bernard W. Blakeman, PLS from DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC, James Rogers, an adjoining property owner, and Donald Smith of WKU. A field road leading from Austin Raymer Road to the McChesney property was discovered and its use discussed during the initial site visit and reconnaissance of the project. This roadway was purported to be a county road called the Edgar Ferry Road. Detailed research of the source deeds for the subject McChesney property, along with the property of James and Sue Rogers and the adjoining property of Ms. Betty Wilson, began immediately. The records were traced back to the early 1900’s while searching for documentation regarding the purported county road. Current and archived maps of the area were researched and reviewed for recorded evidence of said county road. Unnamed Roadways were indicated in proximity to the property on USGS topographical maps. The current and official Warren County road map did not indicate or include the purported road as being part of the county roadway system. During the research phase of the project conclusive recorded evidence was not recovered to substantiate the field road being a county road. Once the initial research for the subject properties was complete and thoroughly reviewed, a survey crew was deployed to the site to begin the field phase of the project. A control traverse was established for use in the field location of all recovered boundary monumentation and boundary line evidence. Recovered corner monumentation and existing fencing were field surveyed along with the location of field road leading from Austin Raymer county road to the McChesney/Rogers boundary line. The field data was returned to the office downloaded and processed for use in the calculation and reconciliation of the recovered boundary information to the recorded deeds. All of the deeds researched and recovered were extremely old in nature and contained ambiguity and conflicting information with respect to the boundaries as they related to each other and the recovered field evidence. This resulted in DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC working closely with James Rogers, Donald Smith and Betty Wilson to resolve apparent conflicts with the record boundaries. The option proposed was a Boundary Line Agreement by and between all parties involved. DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC also worked with Attorney Greg Stivers of Kerrick, Stivers, Coyle & Van Zant, PSC to provide descriptions and exhibits for inclusion in a document agreeable to and signed by the respective parties. The Boundary Line Agreement extends generally along the existing fencing and apparent possession line. The corner momumentation along this line was established in the field to the satisfaction of the property owners with the appropriate documentation being put to record in the Warren County Court Clerks office in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The recording of the boundary line agreement is the basis of the subsequent Ingress and Egress easement across the Rogers property. The established Ingress and Egress easement and roadway extending from Austin Raymer Road to the McChesney/Rogers boundary line and was constructed and/or upgraded for access to the McChesney Field Campus. This work was achieved with the help and countless hours of hard work by WKU Faculty along with the generous donations of labor and materials from local contractors. The McChesney Field Campus dedication ceremony and marker unveiling was held Tuesday morning August 04, 2009 in honor of Hardin Field McChesney Sr. and Lucy Blair McChesney. The McChesney family has been associated with WKU since Henry Hardin Cherry was president. Several members of the McChesney family were on hand for the dedication and unveiling of a marker on the property. “We’re doing this to honor my father and his dedication to Western and his love for higher education and our family’s dedication to Western,” Field McChesney Jr. said. “It’s our family’s great honor and pleasure to symbolically turn this land over to Western Kentucky University. May it be enjoyed for generations to come and may it strengthen and advance Western Kentucky University, our community, our Commonwealth and our nation.” President Gary Ransdell spoke at the dedication and said WKU is appreciative of the McChesney family’s generosity of “a marvelous environmental asset”. Western Kentucky University is expanding its resources for environmental education sustainability and other academic programs with the addition of the McChesney Field Campus. Faculty and students in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport have taken the lead in developing concepts, plans and uses for the McChesney Field Campus. But the facility will provide a unique outdoor experiential learning environment that will be utilized by numerous academic disciplines throughout the WKU campus community, including recreation administration, outdoor leadership, physical education, public health, cave and karst study, geology, geography, biology, chemistry, teacher education, environmental science, agriculture, horticulture, environmental health, construction, engineering, history, public relations, marketing, advertising, graphic design, sustainability and more. Furthermore access to the Green River will also provide opportunities for environmental research, outdoor leadership and physical activity classes. In addition to academic uses, the site could be utilized by student organizations or community youth groups for retreats or instructional activities. DDS ENGINEERING, PLLC again is proud to be involved with the wonderful project and is excited about the future of education at Western Kentucky University. The generosity and loyalty of the people in this area along with the continued commitment to education, is overwhelming. Article By: Don Pedigo, PLS Photos by: Clinton Lewis, University Staff Photographer This article contains excerpts from the WKU News Release dated August 04, 2009.

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