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Student gather under red fall leaves
Featured | NewsAugust 20, 2021

Campus Upgrades Progress at UAFS

Written By: Dr. Judith Hansen

Drivers on Grand Avenue have had a front-row seat to some of the most visible improvements on the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith campus this summer, but there is plenty more going on than meets the eye.

Summer is always a busy time for UAFS as it seeks to take advantage of fewer students and fewer cars on campus for physical improvements.

UAFS and the city of Fort Smith got an early jump on things with drainage repair and installation of new box culverts outside the Sebastian Commons student apartment complex on N.49th Street. With the added installation of a new metal ground sewer inlet, these improvements should improve drainage around Sebastian Commons and Grand Avenue.

There's no doubt the largest project on campus this summer has been the demolition of the Holt Building, an aging classroom building on Grand Avenue. When the demo is completed and the site cleared, the area will be used for green space on the campus's north (???) side.

Among the many plans for the interior of the campus is a freshening up of the four campus domes on the Donald W. Reynolds Campus Green, an area favored by community members who like to stroll the campus in the relative cool of summer evenings. Initial improvements and landscaping have been completed, with the replacement of seating areas and brick repair still to come.

The Bell Tower will have some routine maintenance this summer too. A new hard-wired Apollo system and industrial-grade surge protector will be installed, and worn metal strikers on the bells will be replaced with electromagnetic strikers. The clock controllers, motors, and universal joint will be replaced.

Improvements to satellite campus locations also are underway. At the Bakery District on the former Shipley Baking site, space is being prepared as a new home for the Center for Business and Professional Development and the Family Enterprise Center, both currently located in the Flanders Building on the main campus. There will be offices on the second floor of the Bakery and meeting rooms and workspaces, and classrooms and a conference room on the first floor.

On the UAFS campus located in Van Buren, the Drennon-Scott House and the Willhaf House are scheduled to see historic restoration later this summer. Interior and exterior repairs and painting are expected on both sites, with some mechanical upgrades to the Willhaf House.

Classroom, office, and hall improvements and enhancements in Math/Science, Vines, Echols, Pendergraft Health Science, Boreham Library, and BII (I forget what this stands for) buildings are either completed or underway.

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