Home > Issue by Date > February 2008

- Facility Fix -

Campus Enhanced By Founder's Vision

Everett Easley

Q&A Everett Easley:

Nearly a century ago, John Brown opened a university in Siloam, AR with a vision of building aesthetics that never came to fruition in his lifetime. Everett Easley helped make this dream a reality.

What is your position? How many years have you been in the facility management profession?

I am privileged to serve as project manager for the renovation of the cathedral, engineering, and art buildings at John Brown University (JBU). I completed 18 years as the facilities services director at this school on June 30, 2007.

Please give a brief description of the facilities involved in this project.

The “cathedral group” is made up of three buildings. Each structure has its own story. The art building, for example, underwent extensive interior renovation in 2003 to create space for a new digital media program.

The engineering building began as the campus library; when JBU’s Learning Resource Center was built with space to house the library, the former library building was converted to the engineering building as it is today. The engineering building houses mechanical and electrical engineering classrooms and offices, and the third floor is occupied by our construction management department.

The cathedral sanctuary is filled each Tuesday and Thursday for chapel services, and acts as a venue for campus events, meetings, and performances. The cathedral also houses an education wing that supports the music, drama, English, and social studies programs.

The cathedral and engineering buildings’ HVAC systems have been totally replaced along with some extensive interior renovation. New windows were installed in the engineering building, and 24 stained glass windows in the cathedral are being restored.

The art, engineering, and cathedral buildings are similar in construction with wood and steel structures and concrete and masonry unit walls. The buildings will receive a new limestone veneer exterior and new roofing and guttering.

Why was the decision made to pursue this project for the facility?

The cathedral’s construction began in 1945. It was completed in 1957, the same year that our founder, John Brown, Sr., passed away. His intent and dream was to lay up stone on the building, but the stone work was never completed. The building stood with only concrete block walls for 50 years.

The three buildings making up the cathedral group are the prominent buildings on campus, and very popular in the community and with alumni. The decision to renovate them was an easy one.

Also, the cathedral building education wing has been operating with very old gas fired furnaces for many years with only erratic control at best. Students and faculty were subject to extreme differences in temperatures in offices and classrooms.

Please describe the decision making and research process for this project.

President Charles Pollard presented our plans to JBU board of trustees members. They approved the fundraising and concept.

The Cathedral Group Committee was formed to establish details for renovation. The research process to determine materials and scope of work was a two year effort.

What was the vendor selection process like? Did you feel limited?

The committee selected Flintco, Inc. to provide estimates and a budget of potential costs for the project. Several months later Sparks Architects of Tulsa, OK was selected to design the stone cladding project. The project documents were sent to three qualified general contractors for proposals.

What led you to choose the specific solution that you did?

Specific decisions for the project, including the type of stone to use and the priority of various aspects of this project, were decided through discussions of the project committee. As part of the team, I was involved in many details, but I had the most interest and influence in details regarding the actual installation and operations.

 

What benefits have you reaped as a result of this project?

Because the project is a considerable renovation of historic and much loved buildings, we have been able to see the community and the university alumni come together to support the work. The improved classroom, office, and community space boosts the morale of our campus, which is now more attractive to prospective students.

What economic benefits have you reaped as a result of this project?

Preserving the building that is important to our alumni has inspired more alumni to give to the university. The appearance and functionality of our buildings may also be an important factor to students who are considering coming to our university. We expect the changes we made will be an asset to recruitment in the future.

Did you encounter any unexpected highlights or challenges while implementing this project?

Most of the challenges came after the work had begun. The stone selection, supply, and delivery was very slow. Several stone units required custom sizes and thicknesses. Having to wait on custom cut stone and for delivery from the stone plant—over 100 miles away—challenged our schedule.

How did this project require you to change your operations and maintenance practices?

Because nearly half of the work was managed directly by the university, the project required a full time director. I retired from my previous position as facilities director to take on the role of project manager.

While our regular facilities staff supports the project in various ways, they are generally able to continue their normal operations without too much inconvenience.

What has been the reaction to the project from upper management and elsewhere in your organization?

The older concrete block wall construction, which made the buildings gray in color, seemed to be quite acceptable to most people associated with JBU and even those around the community. They didn’t realize what a difference the exterior stone would make.

After the stone was placed, the buildings appeared larger and more permanent and they have taken on a much lighter stone color. This change has been very positive.

There has also been a renewed appreciation for the heritage of the university with older and younger alumni as well as current students.

What was the most professionally rewarding aspect of this project?

To be able to concentrate totally on the cathedral group restoration is a dream job. While I have been involved in many construction and renovation projects at every level, my involvement in this project has been the greatest blessing and the most interesting.

Easley can be reached at eeasley@jbu.edu.

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