UAMS seeks millions for renovation
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008
Beginning the process of turning the former Washington Regional Medical Center facility into a satellite campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hinges on the ability to come up with a few million dollars.
Peter Kohler, UAMS regional vice chancellor responsible for overseeing the satellite campus, said officials are looking to get the first phase of renovations started by late summer.
"There are a lot of infrastructure issues that probably need to be done on the frontend," he said. "It's a big building, and it needs a lot of maintenance."
The building will eventually need to accommodate medical students, resident physicians, nursing students, psychiatry students, pharmacy students and students in some of the allied health profession programs.
As far as how the space will be divvied up among the various functions of the school, Kohler said all the department heads have had input.
UAMS officials toured the facility in late August with architects from Cromwell Architects Engineers Inc. of Little Rock to determine where the programs would fit best with the building's layout and how many classrooms would be needed.
Each department completed a survey regarding space and equipment needs.
"We have a pretty good plan for how we'll use (the space )," Kohler said. "It's a very large building, but the big question mark has to do with how much room we'll have for the nursing school activities."
Next to the Arkansas Area Health Education Centers program, the nursing program will likely use the most space, Kohler said.
"We've found a way to incorporate the classrooms everyone will need," he said.
While a large auditorium space was requested, Kohler said, the building doesn't provide for the space.
Officials are looking to use every bit of available space, including the building that has served as the Washington Regional Center for Exercise.
"We have a couple of operations for the exercise center," Kohler said. "It might be a place where the nursing school has some of its activities."
The exercise center is moving to the new Pat Walker Center for Seniors on the corner of Appleby Road and North Hills Boulevard on the Washington Regional campus.
Kohler said officials are hoping to have a small number of students on the converted UAMS campus in 2009.
"Right now we're in the process of getting estimates firmed up for how much each part will cost, how we stage it and how much it will cost to operate," he said.
The campus will receive its firstyear operating budget from the state but still does not have a dedicated funding source.
While $ 3. 1 million was set aside in startup funding, officials have estimated it will cost $ 5 million to $ 8 million a year to operate the facility.
Kohler said he's looking to philanthropy as a way to raise funds.
It will also help to have tenants continue to rent space in the building, he said.
"To do everything we need to do, without all of the contingencies, will cost somewhere in excess of $ 8 million," he said.
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