NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – UMass is pausing construction on a pavilion project for workers after outcry from neighbors.

The school was going to build a pavilion as a tribute to its workers near the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Renaissance Studies, but following some backlash UMass is now looking for another location.

In November the university announced its intention to use a $7 million gift from an anonymous donor to build the UMass Service Workers Honor Pavilion on a 30 acre site surrounding the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Renaissance Studies.

As soon as this plan was announced though, outcries from residents who cherish the site’s woods and meadows as a place for recreation were heard from the school and now UMass is changing plans.

And we recognize it’s been a topic of public discussion and concerns raised by neighbors and other community members and we thought that as that discussion has evolved that its best to pause to consider other alternative sites, said Ed Blaguszewski, Executive Director of News and Media Relations at UMass Amherst.

The open-air facility is planned to eventually be a valuable community asset for quiet contemplation and get togethers.