NWACC building projects moving along in Bentonville, Springdale

File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER Students walk across campus to the Becky Paneitz Student Center on Jan. 30 at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. The college's board approved Thursday a balanced budget with a 3.1 percent increase over the 2017.
File Photo/NWA Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER Students walk across campus to the Becky Paneitz Student Center on Jan. 30 at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville. The college's board approved Thursday a balanced budget with a 3.1 percent increase over the 2017.

BENTONVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas Community College's maintenance building could have a new home and purpose, but plans are in the early stages.

College officials are hoping to move the building from the middle of campus to the far northeast corner of the campus, just west of Watertower Road. They would use the empty structure for instructional space.

Meeting information

Northwest Arkansas Community College’ board will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Burns Hall third floor board room.

"There's a huge need for additional workforce training," Debi Buckley, vice president of administration, said during Wednesday's Land Use Committee meeting. "We've been asked by the state to take on more programs. We have no space for those programs. However, our current physical plant would lend itself beautifully with very few changes."

One of the changes would be to change the building's exterior to make it look more cohesive with the rest of the campus' buildings, she said.

Jim Lay, executive director of facilities and construction management, said he's been talking with Bentonville utility departments on how to get services, such as water and sewer to the new site.

"I think once Watertower Road starts to develop that they would tie those in nicely to our area," he said.

The city has plans to widen Watertower Road.

Committee members also heard updates about the Washington County Center, which broke ground June 27 in Springdale, and the Integrated Design Lab on campus, which broke ground July 20.

Work trailers are on site for both projects, Lay reported.

The 35,000-square-foot, two-story center will be on 20 acres near Arvest Ballpark and Arkansas Children's Northwest hospital.

General education courses, Early College Experience Program classes for high school students earning college credits and various health profession courses will be offered at the center.

Dirt work has going on over the last two and a half weeks. Dirt excavated from one area was good enough to be used to fill in other areas of the site, Lay said, which saves money by removing the need to buy top soil.

Officials expect it to be finished by December 2019. The Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation raised about $4.5 million of the $12 million goal as of June.

The Integrated Design Lab will house the workforce construction management and visual arts programs as they have similar needs in terms of tools, resources and ventilation. The 24,000-square-foot building will cost $5.5 million and be paid for with millage money.

The college sets aside one-third of the millage revenue it receives from residents of the Bentonville and Rogers school districts for capital needs.

"From the very beginning the concept of the building was to make it a centerpiece of transition on campus," said Brad Place with SCM Architects, the firm working on the project.

Students can either avoid weather by walking through the building, or they can use the sidewalks to walk around it, he said.

The lab is expected to be finished by August.

NW News on 10/04/2018

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