NWC projects on hold pending state approval

Posted 10/6/15

The NWC Board of Trustees approved a request in April for nearly $122,000 in one-time funding for a climbing wall for Trapper Gym located in the fitness center building, with the understanding that major maintenance money would be required to …

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NWC projects on hold pending state approval

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Climbing wall, air conditioning planned for Johnson Fitness Center

A new climbing wall and other improvements are planned for the Johnson Fitness Center at Northwest College — as soon as college leaders get the go-ahead from the state to do them.

The NWC Board of Trustees approved a request in April for nearly $122,000 in one-time funding for a climbing wall for Trapper Gym located in the fitness center building, with the understanding that major maintenance money would be required to prepare the gym and install the wall.

The money for the climbing wall came through the Wyoming Community College Commission’s recapture and redistribution formula last spring. The formula equalizes college funding in the state by taking money from college districts with higher local tax revenues and redistributing it to colleges with lower local tax revenues.

Recapture and redistribution has not been calculated yet for the current school year.

Because recapture/redistribution is one-time funding, NWC President Stefani Hicswa asked program administrators to submit proposals for projects that could be paid for by the funding, and how those projects would benefit programs at the college.

Keith McCallister, assistant professor of health, outdoor and physical education, made the case for a climbing wall to replace the existing climbing wall in the Cabre Building.

He told the board that interest in climbing is increasing, both among students and the public. The old wall is too small and outdated, and some of the anchors and handholds are no longer usable. It is insufficient to meet the needs of climbing classes at the college, he said.

Although funding for the wall is available, getting the major maintenance funding for that and other work in the fitness center has proved difficult due to a staff vacancy in the Wyoming Capital Construction Division, which, among other things, oversees and approves funding for major maintenance projects at the state’s community colleges.

Dave Plute, facilities director at Northwest College, said installing the climbing wall will require extensive testing for asbestos in the cinder-block wall, as well as strengthening the gym wall so it can support the heavy climbing wall.

Other projects planned for the building include a heating and air conditioning system upgrade and replacing the floor in the gym. In addition, the existence of cellulose insulation in the building — which is not flammable, but is combustable — will require the installation of a sprinkler system in the building or putting up fire-rated wall board, he said. 

Plute said he hopes all of those projects can be completed at the same time to avoid disturbing classes more than once.

“If we do them separately, then we’re disrupting this summer and next summer,” he said. Besides, he added, “we would have to tear up a portion of the floor just to install the climbing wall.”

Plute said he hopes to have that approval in two or three weeks. Meanwhile, “We’re sort of in a holding pattern, other than we have authorized architects and engineers to go ahead with the plan. We know the money is there, but we don’t know how much it is.”

Lisa Watson, NWC vice president for administrative services, said several building projects are on hold waiting for approval from the state Capital Construction office.

Meanwhile, Watson has organized current and future construction projects into a database that shows which projects have been approved by the board, which have been funded and which are planned.

She said that is the best way to assure that projects identified as important in the NWC facilities master plan are put into longterm budgetary planning at the college, as required by the Higher Learning Commission, which oversees the college’s accreditation.

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