Jones Residence Hall is open again at Arkansas Tech University following a $9 million renovation, the university announced Monday.
The residence hall was under consideration for a renovation project in February 2021 when a cold snap led to burst pipes inside the building. The damage caused ATU to temporarily close the dormitory and expand the scope of the renovation.
The ATU board of trustees approved funding for the renovation in May 2021, and the project began in September 2022. The project included interior demolition and abatement, plumbing and drain relocations, a complete re-design of the interior spaces (lobbies, rooms, apartments, kitchens, study areas, etc.), standing new walls in newly redesigned spaces, replacing interior finishes (floor covering, wall covering, ceiling system, etc.), addition of a fire sprinkler system and installation of an elevator.
“Any total renovation project is a challenge, and the Jones Residence Hall project was no different,” Drew Dickey, ATU director of facilities management, said in a press release. “From beginning to end, the team continually uncovered new hurdles that made it challenging to deliver a project that was on time and on budget. Thankfully, Arkansas Tech had good partners that were there to assist every step of the way. SCM Architects and Alessi Keyes Construction were both wonderful to work with and really went above and beyond to get creative when obstacles arose.”
The renovated hall was partially opened to host university guests during April’s total solar eclipse, but the fall 2024 semester marks the first time the building has been fully open during a school year since the February 2021 damage.
The building is named for Charles Jones, who taught psychology and education courses at Arkansas Tech from 1938 to 1971.
ATU will celebrate the renovation project with a re-opening event on the ATU campus in Russellville on Oct. 12.
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