By DERRICK GALINDO
Senior Reporter
From inside the Coronado Cafeteria to the campus’s outdoor classroom, NWOSU renovated some facilities over the summer, and plans to continue improving the campus.
Executive Vice President of NWOSU, Dr. David Pecha, said that the first thing recognized by students would no doubt be the cafeteria.
The renovations over the summer were a part of the contract with Chartwells, the food service vendor for NWOSU, and included a periodic refresh.
This granted the opportunity to improve the cafeteria with a new floor and ceiling , a new sound system, lights and fans.
However, that’s just what the people eating seen.
In the kitchen side of the facility, they have three new walk-in refrigerators.
“What we are guessing is the units that were replaced were from the sixties,” said Pecha said.
While functioning well enough, their age led to many problems with energy consumption.
Overall renovations in Coronado Cafe ended up being roughly $600,000.
Another change seen over the summer was the improvements to the outdoor classroom space, along with other spaces on campus grounds.
The outdoor classroom space installed concrete and laid new grass.
While the summer renovations were completed, there are still more plans to improve the campus.
Looking towards the outdoor classroom, there are plans to install guardrails, along with working with a donor for a possible gazebo.
Along with this, NWOSbU secured a deferred maintenance fund from the state legislature, with a total fund of $3,579,545 to do future renovations around campus.
These are renovations that the campus needed but didn’t have the necessary funds to do them.
Outside of Herod Hall’s large-scale renovation of the auditorium and hall space, there are four other main categories planned to apply the money to.
Many of the categories fit under the topic of replacement, due to age or need of repair.
There are plans to replace the underground electrical transformers near Herod and Jesse Dunn and three heat and air units in Vinson Hall, the Health and Sports Science building and in Percefull Fieldhouse.
Finally, there are plans to improve the roofs of the Science building, Vinson Hall, Wellness Center, the Health and Sports Science building and the cafeteria.
The last category of renovations involving upkeep is the campus’s parking lots.
By collaborating with the City of Alva and Wood’s County commissioners, NWOSU’s maintenance staff patched up potholes around the campus while the county commissioners patched up the parking lot on the west side of Ranger Field.
After they patch up the parking lot, they set an oil base and pack in rock, or chip and seal, the whole west side of the parking lot.
The other problem on Ranger Field is a drainage issue in the first tier of the tiered parking lot.
When quick, heavy rain hits, it will drain into the football field and damage the turf.
NWOSU is working with an engineer to redirect the drainage into the creek in the East.
After the drainage issue is fixed, plans to chip and seal ditches in the tiers will begin.
However, depending on the specifics of which plans are most critical for the campus, some of these plans can be changed due to fluctuating costs, Pecha said.
In looking towards the future of the campus with all these changes made and to be made. Pecha said he was thrilled.
“Today’s students shop with their eyes,” Pecha said, “… So I think you’ve always got to keep your facilities and other things nice. That was part of our decision when it came to renovating Cunningham Hall several years ago. The structure of that building was extremely solid, it just showed its age. So, we wanted to go in and refresh that building and make it look better.”
