Residence halls, HVACs, roofing among top facility priorities

Recent work among the objectives laid out in president's Strategic Plan

Residence halls, HVAC units and roofing have been a priority for Campbell University's Facilities Management department this year, and the fruits of their labor are visible heading into the summer. Considerable investment has been made in four residence halls, and roof work has been completed for Butler Chapel, the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business and other much-used facilities on campus.

The work is a major component of President William M. Downs' Strategic Plan, launched this spring to prioritize improvements in enrollment growth, community impact, identity and financial strength. An important objective of that financial strength component calls for remedying what Downs calls "a backlog of deferred maintenance issues" in an effort to maximize use of campus facilities and increase residential occupancy.

"We're blessed with an extraordinarily beautiful campus at Campbell University, and it is incumbent on us to be good stewards of our facilities and our grounds," Downs said. "We owe it to the entire University community to make sure that everything is maintained in working order and looking its best.

"I am pleased and grateful that we are now starting to cross things off our 'Fix-It list,' and I look forward to much more progress in the coming months."

According to Vice President for Business and Chief Financial Officer Sandy Connolly, Campbell University has invested roughly $4.5 million in capital upgrades across four residential areas.

• Powell Residence Hall: The three-story hall located behind the Rumley Center is receiving a complete remodel, with room refurbishments and a new HVAC system and high-energy, efficient heat pump. The hall will expand from 33 beds to its full design capacity of 59 beds "with supporting infrastructure, mechanical and life-safety upgrades," according to Connolly.
• Faculty Memorial Commons (FMC) Apartments: Facilities Management has replaced the aging central steam heating system for the apartments that house 213 upperclassmen. The new units will improve reliability and efficiency, saving considerably on utility costs.
• Stadium Apartments A Complex (formerly Pet Hall): Eight residential units that were previously taken offline due to aging systems have been restored with new flooring and a considerable remodel to each apartment.
• Northeast Residence Hall: Located near the tennis courts, the former athletics office building has been restored to its original use as a residence hall.

"These residence hall additions and improvements have been a big need," said Capital Project Manager Robbie Adams. "The new VP of enrollment management [Dean Clark] is doing a great job getting more students to Campbell, and we will be ready for that uptick."

HVAC, cooling tower, heat pump and chiller upgrades are complete or are in the works for Taylor Bott Rogers Fine Arts Building, Taylor Hall, D. Rich and Carrie Rich Hall, according to Adams. The work will not only improve efficiency and lower heating and cooling costs for these buildings, but it will also allow Facilities Management to manage those buildings remotely.

New roofs have been added to Butler Chapel, the Dinah E. Gore Bell Tower and Lundy-Fetterman, and roof work will begin soon on the Norman A. Wiggins Memorial Library. In cases like Lundy-Fetterman, which had the same roof it was built with in 1999, the work not only is an aesthetic improvement, but it fixes leak issues that have been a problem for years.

"These issues have been a priority for President Downs since Day 1, and he's really been behind us from the start," Adams said. "His administration has been super responsive - here's a need, let's find a solution."

Connolly said the work performed over the past nine months also reflect the University's broader commitment to the student experience.

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