Several of UCA’s buildings were renovated over the summer or are currently under construction.
At the Board of Trustees meeting Aug. 8, Associate Vice President for Facilities Kevin Carter gave an overview of all the recent campus renovations, as well as renovations that may need to happen in the future.
Carter said renovations will need to be completed on the Farris Center, originally built in 1971 and still functions off of its original mechanical equipment and piping.
While displaying photos of the building, Carter said, “These two photos, one is the Farris Center, and one is the mechanical room on the Titanic. So, you can’t really tell much of a difference — the only difference would be the Titanic’s probably in better shape right now.”
Carter said there are 18 air handlers in the Farris Center, 12 of which are not operational or repairable.
He said the average lifespan of these units is 20-25 years, and the ones in the Farris Center are 53-years-old.
Carter said that in March of 2023, Cromwell Engineering was hired to complete a mechanical
assessment of the entire facility, and they estimated the mechanical renovation at $8 million.
He said recent conversations with engineers have placed the estimate at $10 million.
Board of Trustees Chair Amy Denton asked, “Considering that price and the age of the building, is it possible to look at a replacement? What would the cost be to look at that instead of just maybe putting this much money into this building?”
Carter said, “I think due to the amount, and putting that much in the building of that age, it would be wise to do a feasibility study to see what it would look like for Farris.”
Via email, Carter said, “We are currently exploring different options, but no decisions have been made” about the Farris Center.
He said “a cost analysis of renovations of the existing facility versus the cost of a new facility” will be conducted.
The west Estes parking lot was repaved over the summer, costing approximately $400,000. Carter said, “This consisted of an undercut and fill of the drive lanes with a complete overlay and restriping.”
Carter said, “No roads have been repaved,” but “We just completed a roads and parking lot masterplan with Crafton Tull engineers. We plan on addressing issues over the next few years.”
UCA is partnering with the city of Conway to extend the Tucker Creek trail by building a pedestrian bridge.
“Conway got a $28 million federal grant to extend the Tucker Creek trail system in West Conway all the way to the Don Owens Center on the northside of town,” Carter said at the Board of Trustees meeting. “They want to bring it right through UCA, so this bridge is going to be part of that trail.”
“The bridge is scheduled to be completed sometime in September,” Carter said. “It will become part of the city of Conway trail system. It is partially funded by an ARDOT [Arkansas Department of Transportation] grant.”
Schichtl Hall, now called The Schichtl Center for Honors Education, will have a grand re-opening Sept. 5th during X-period.
Carter said there was a “complete renovation of the entire building — new HVAC system, new flooring, paint, lighting, restrooms, reconfiguring spaces, etc.”
The building, previously the studio arts center, now houses the Center for Global Learning and Engagement, Living Learning Communities and the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College.
The Snow Fine Arts building received renovations costing approximately $4 million.
Carter said this included a “new HVAC system, flooring, lighting and ceiling tiles in the three-story portion of the building.”
Carter said there is little renovation left to do on the building.
“We plan on replacing the windows but do not have a timeline for this yet,” he said.
Carter said renovations on McAlister Hall included a “new HVAC system, new roof, renovations to the first floor entrances, bathrooms, hallways and a new wheelchair ramp at the south entrance.”
He said the university received a few different types of funding for McAlister renovations.
“HVAC was funded with HEERF [Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds] funds, first-floor renovations were funded with an ANCRC [Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council] grant and the roof was paid with university funds,” he said.
Carter said the Ronnie Williams Student Center received “new flooring, painting and furniture in the main lobby and an addition of a new lounge near the east entrance.”
Students sit in the Ronnie Williams Center's new lounge. The Student Center also received new flooring, painting and furniture in the main lobby.
The Echo previously reported Burdick Hall to resume normal operations in late 2024.
However, he said, “Burdick is scheduled to be completed by August 2025, and they’ve been “working on demolition.”
Carter said he does not know the overall cost for Burdick Hall, but “we are currently working through subcontractor bids with Nabholz Construction.”
He said the hall will get “all new mechanical systems, all new electrical — we are reconfiguring some of the spaces to accommodate some new programs.”