Housing speeds up renovation schedule

By Taylor Bern, Jesse Rangel

Friday, August 28, 2009

Men’s basketball coach Bill Self carries a lot of clout on campus. That’s why when he and the Athletics Department asked to speed up the Jayhawker Towers renovations, the University found a way to get it done.

“That was a juggling act,” said Diana Robertson, director of the Department of Student Housing.

This August Tower A reopened with a brand new look after an $8 million renovation. Changes include increased security, added amenities and a complete reworking of the building’s infrastructure.

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Photo by Ryan Waggoner

The Student Housing department began its renovation project of Towers A and D of the Jayhawker Towers in March. Tower A opened in August. One goal the department wanted to accomplish was to “lighten and brighten” the apartments by changing lighting placement and the colors of the walls.

photo

Photo by Ryan Waggoner

Tower A of Jayhawker Towers underwent an $8 million renovation this summer. The tower opened in August in order to accomodate student athletes, at a request from the Athletics Department and men’s basketball coach Bill Self. The renovation project includes the renovation of Tower D.

Robertson said the original plan included renovating Towers A and D in successive school years, starting this fall. But when Athletics asked if Tower A could be ready to go this year instead, thus opening at the same time as Kansas’ new basketball practice facility, the Department of Student Housing had to get creative to move production a year forward.

“The state essentially gave us a short-term loan, a one-year loan on Tower A, until we get to where we can put both of them together on a bond,” Robertson said.

Once the plan was in place, Student Housing closed Tower A so it could be torn apart. The demolition started in the fall, and then March through July was spent remodeling.

Danielle McCray, Olathe senior and guard for the women’s basketball team, lived in Tower B last year. She said the rooms in Tower A feel smaller but it’s still a welcome change.

“It’s a lot better, just having something new,” McCray said.

The new features to Tower A include an on-site laundry facility, a sprinkler system, wireless Internet service and all-new kitchen accessories to go along with the new lights and piping in the walls.

Jeff Withey, San Diego sophomore and center for the men’s basketball team, also moved into a renovated room after this year. He said the rooms were an improvement from his experience in the Towers last year.

“The kitchen’s a lot bigger,” Withey said. “The rooms are pretty much the same size, but they re-did the walls.”

Robertson said the bulk of the project costs went to the pipes and electrical systems behind the walls. But one goal was to “lighten and brighten” the area by changing the placement of the lighting and wall colors.

Komal Bhakta, Liberal sophomore, said she appreciated the brighter room treatment, as opposed to her experience last year as a resident of McCollum Hall.

“The dorm room in McCollum was very dark,” Bhakta said. “I could barely do my homework. Now it’s just bright and there’s a lot of lights.”

Bhakta called the room “more comfortable to live in.”

Robertson said the combination of renovated and nonrenovated rooms meant students would have the choice between modern and classic, both in appearance and price.

To live in the renovated building costs approximately 22 percent more than the other buildings. That’s about $800 more per resident in a four-person room and about $1,400 more in a two-person room. The costs go to operation and upkeep as well as paying back the state for the bond. The towers were built in 1967.

Binu Abi, Olathe sophomore, said the towers were a good value for on-campus living.

“You get the apartment feel, without being off campus,” Abi said.

The demolition in Tower D will begin soon and the project is slated to end in June.

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