A draft report on the potential environmental effects of a new science laboratory building and lecture hall at the University of California, Davis, is available for public review and comment. Copies of the study are available at: the reserve desk of the Shields Library on the UC Davis campus; the Yolo County Public Library, 315 East 14th St., Davis; the Vacaville Public Library, 1020 Ulatis Drive, Vacaville; and on the Web at . A brief public notice including a project description and a summary of potential impacts is available on the Web at . Written comments on the draft study can be submitted up to 5 p.m. on April 5, 2001. Comments should be addressed to John Meyer, Office of Resource Management and Planning, UC Davis. The proposed three-story laboratory building would provide approximately 142,135 square feet of teaching laboratories for the Division of Biological Sciences. It will also provide teaching space for related courses in chemistry, agricultural science and other subjects. It will replace outdated laboratories in existing buildings, allowing them to be remodeled to meet future research and academic needs. The new building will allow UC Davis to respond to discoveries in biology and advances in teaching methods with new, flexible laboratory layouts. Facilities will include greenhouses, aquaria and computer labs. The plans include drop-in learning centers, where students can meet for study sessions, review lab work and talk to teaching assistants day and night. The project also includes a single-story, 12,250-square-foot lecture hall to accommodate 500 students. The lecture hall will be for general campus use. The laboratory building and lecture hall will be located north of Hutchison Drive, between Briggs Hall and Haring Hall. Three existing buildings on the site will be demolished. The proposed project is consistent with the land-use designations of the 1994 Long Range Development Plan. The draft study found that most of the potential environmental impacts would be mitigated by measures described in the environmental impact report (EIR) for the LRDP, as updated and amended to date. The draft study sets out mitigation measures for the additional impacts. More information: --