$21.7 million UAFS student housing work at midpoint

story and photos submitted by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

The new student housing construction project in process at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is at a midway point and on schedule.

Mark Horn, UAFS vice chancellor for finance and administration, said the project is half way to its late July 2010 completion date in spite of more than three weeks of lost work because of weather.

"The project started this past July," Horn said, "but we encountered a lot of weather that probably cost us 22 days. That has been made up, however, by aggressive work on the part of the contractor with crews working extra on weekends and into the evening hours."

The new complex will be four stories tall and will include two student housing buildings and a dining facility.

"There will be a diagonal sidewalk leading into an inner courtyard," said Horn, "which will allow students a place to throw a Frisbee, toss a football or just sit and visit."

Construction cost is $21.3 million with another $400,000 for site work. Flintco Inc. is the general contractor. Allison Architecture of Little Rock is architect, with Little Diversified of Charlotte, N.C., as design consultant. Horn said Little Diversified is considered an expert in student housing projects.

Work on the new housing, which is visible at the corner of Waldron Road and Kinkead Avenue, is at the stage where vertical lift on the panelized flooring and walls is nearing completion, and roof trusses soon will be lifted.

Horn acknowledged that the project is on an intense and compacted schedule, requiring full attention of the contractor, project managers and university personnel to make sure things stay on track.

"Everyone is giving special attention to those critical path items that affect an overall schedule," he said. "There are some things that, if you don’t get them done right on time, won’t affect an overall schedule, but critical path issues can result in an overall project delay which can’t be made up. Everyone is committed to dealing with any critical path item immediately."

Mike Wallace of Bentonville, one of the Flintco construction superintendents, said the project was moving very fast, was excited about the internal features of the facility as well as what will eventually be seen by students and residents, particularly pointing out a curved wall which will be a visual highlight in the dining part of the housing project.

"And I was amazed when I came to campus at the beauty of what is here," said Wallace, who had not visited UAFS in several years.

Horn said the new units will include 446 beds, bringing the total on-campus housing availability to just under 1,000 students. Sebastian Commons Apartments, located on the west side of UA Fort Smith property, has 480 beds.

"The new housing will have a more established look for us," said Horn, "with its appearance tying into the overall brick theme on the campus. The new units will also have a more permanent look than the apartments, in that there will be interior entrances as opposed to the apartment style of Sebastian Commons."

Rooms have been designed in suite-type arrangements, with accommodations primarily for two students per room, although Horn said there will be some singles available.

The dining facility is expected to be a drawing point for those seeking on-campus housing, but it will also be open to other students on campus. There will be one price for the all-you-can-eat menu, or students can buy one of several meal plan options.

Horn said the dining facility will also be equipped with a generator, providing back-up power if needed in times of emergency to allow students who are on campus 24 hours a day to be properly fed in times of inclement weather.

Dave Pinson, director of housing and residential life, said he expects interest to be high and has already had inquiries.

"We are taking applications right now for the new units," said Pinson. "All of the information is available on the housing application on our Web site, by clicking on ‘Student Life’ and ‘Housing.’"

Expected per semester room rates are $2,250 for a single room and $2,100 per person for a double room. Residents are also required to purchase a meal plan.

In addition to the student housing project, UAFS is also in various stages of other construction activities, including an expansion and renovation of Boreham Library and the creation of a new parking lot and athletic field.