On the long journey to find a suitable location for the new UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences (SFS), a new idea has been proposed, according to the Journal Sentinel.

A proposal is being considered to split the SFS between the current locations under consideration: The Great Lakes WATER Institute and the Reed Street Yards. The WATER institute is near the harbor at 600 E. Greenfield Ave., while the Reed Street Yards are bordered by the Menomonee River canal, West Florida Street, South 6th Street and South 3rd Street.

“We’re having conversations,” Vice Chancellor Tom Luljak told the Journal Sentinel regarding the compromise.

Director of the WATER Institute, Dr. Val Klump, did not comment on the proposal.

The SFS, which has had a bumpy road in finding a home since a proposal to house the school at the old Pieces of Eight restaurant site fell apart last year, would divide administrative offices and the actual research and teaching locations.

According to the Journal Sentinel, the administrative offices would likely be housed at the Reed Street Yards location while the actual teaching and research would take place in the harbor at The Great Lakes WATER Institute.

Locating the school primarily at the WATER institute was a plan which ran into roadblocks due to large piles of coal which sit directly across the street from the institute.

The Reed Street Yards location, however, would have to work with a great deal of river traffic, which would impede research.

Senior Editor in University Relations Brad Stratton commented on both locations.

Stratton noted that due to the proposed locations being downtown, the school has to contend with all the developments that have taken place on the river over the last century. The coal piles, Stratton pointed to especially, “aren’t going anywhere.”

However, Stratton was quick to point out that after the Pieces of Eight proposal fell apart last year, many people wanted a university presence in their community. Stratton noted that people to both the north and the south showed a strong desire for the school to be located in their community.

When asked as to whether the repeated delays of finding the school a physical home would impede the actual academic program, Stratton immediately dismissed the notion.

“Just because the brick and mortar wouldn’t be there doesn’t mean the academics would be delayed,” Stratton said. Stratton also pointed out that the idea of having a completed school by September of 2010 was not realistic.

The Journal Sentinel blogosphere was alight with people who showed desire for the idea and those who opposed it.

“One destination could not only help reduce wasteful traffic but also contribute to the overall feeling of an actual unified university, which is currently a deterrent to many students who end up going to other universities that have actual identities,” nico2010 blogged.

Yet, other bloggers approved of the idea.

“It’s good to hear that Santiago and Co. are looking for a solution that meets both the academic and commercial aspects of this venture,” golfnjazz wrote. “The Profs and grad students must have a viable working space, near the water, to conduct their work; and the school needs to have the visibility to continue to draw in corporate dollars.”