Auditorium and Community Conference Center

UACCH auditorium project eyed

By KEN McLEMORE, Hope Star Editor
Published: Monday, December 17, 2007 1:38 PM CST
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The University of Arkansas Community College at Hope Board of Visitors agreed unaimously in a special session Friday to ask the Hempstead County Quorum Court to call a bond election in March to fund construction of a proposed auditorium/conference center on the UACCH campus.

The board, through UACCH Chancellor Dr. Charles Welch, is expected to ask the county at a special quorum court meeting this week to conduct the election to call for a one cent countywide sales tax to finance the proposed 50,000-square foot, split-level facility.

Under the proposal adopted Friday by the UACCH board, 3/4-cent of the tax would be used to retire construction bonds and 1/4-cent of the tax would be used for maintenance and operations.

Once the bonds were retired, the 3/4-cent portion of the tax would be abolished, but the 1/4-cent portion would remain to continue maintenance and operations funding, according to the proposal adopted by the board.

Welch told the board Friday that, based upon current construction costs of some $140-200 per square foot, the estimated cost of the facility would total about $10 million.

He said that UACCH cannot raise that much funding directly, but that the county could facilitate the financing through a bond issue.

“It would actually be that the county would do the bonds,” Welch said. “The county would lease the facility to us if we lease the land to the county.”

Assuring the county's position with a dedicated tax throughout the retirement of the bonds, the facility could then be donated to the college once the bond debt was paid, he said.

Welch said a retirement schedule prepared by Stephens, Inc., for the college projected between seven and 11 years for repayment of the bonds.

Based upon an analysis of an existing facility at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville, Welch said a preliminary architectural concept of the proposed Hope facility would encompass between 50,000-66,000 square feet of space.

He said capacity seating of about 2,100 seats, divided between fixed seating of 1,210 seats at stage level and 890 retractable balcony seats, would be included. Lobby capacity of 2,100, as well as established banquet seating for 800 served by a fixed kitchen would also be included.

Nine offices for staff and anciliary purposes are proposed along with six, 24-seat conference rooms, and a total of 47 stalls of restroom space.

“One of the things we tried to impress on the architect who drew this for us is that we wanted a clean building; flexible to accommodate various uses,” Welch said.

He said UACCB officials recommended such flexibility to accommodate at least the typical scenario for uses anticipated locally.

“How many can attend a typical event here?,” board member Tony Yocom asked.

Welch said local space is limited to between 200-600 maximum seating in venues at UACCH, Hope High School, Hope Fair Park, and the Klipsch Municipal Auditorium.

He said the UACCB facility is typically used some 202 days each year for about 141 separate events involving some 22,638 attendees.

Assuming usages which are already evident, Welch said, the proposed facility should accommodate concerts, lectures, theatrical performances and arts-related events which UACCH has already begun to develop, as well as professional and educational conferences such as those conducted by the Southwest Arkansas Educational Cooperative, consolidation of UACCH “College Preview Day” for the 11 high schools in its service area, as well as UACCH and other commencement exercises.

“Some of the comments I've received from area superintendents is that they would be ecstatic to have that kind of facility available,” Welch said.

Both public and private use possibilities have been explored for such a facility, he said, including those which UACCH already hosts such as the Arkansas Department of Health, NCTA East-Asian Workshop, private weddings, Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, credit/non-credit industry training, Hope Police Department, Friday Music Club, Hope Water and Light Corp., holiday banquets, dinner theater, Texas AWWA Satellite Downlink, Workforce Investment Board, Yerger Museum Committee, LEAC, PEO officer training, Medical Park Hospital, Arkansas General Assembly legislative meetings, Tyson Foods, Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Connected Communities Initiative, blood drives, Arkansas Attorney General's Regional FOI Workshop, Waffle House employee training, Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce, UAMS Health Training Seminar, and others.

Welch said the facility would operate on a “break-even” basis for the college, assuming an annual operating budget between about $300,000-400,000, depending upon staffing requirements.

“We're going to ask the voters to support this for community groups, so we are going to charge very minimally,” he said.

Welch emphasized that the proposal was not intended as a revenue-generating source for the college, but as an asset to the community.