UNK student Emma Nolan is pictured in her room inside Randall Hall. A recently completed maintenance/renovation project improved the building’s HVAC system and updated residents’ rooms. (Photo by Erika Pritchard, UNK Communications)
KEARNEY – It’s no secret.
The cost of construction and renovation projects has increased significantly in recent years. Input prices alone are up nearly 40% since February 2020, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors national trade organization.
“We’ve seen contractor prices and material prices skyrocket, almost to the point where it’s unmanageable,” said Michael Cremers, director of Facilities Management and Planning at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Cremers oversees the maintenance of buildings and physical infrastructure across a 515-acre campus. When these classrooms, labs, offices, meeting spaces, residence halls and athletic venues need significant work, his only option was to request bids and let the market determine the price.
If the cost was too high, a project had to be scaled down, delayed or scrapped altogether.
“We really needed a way to stretch our dollars and complete these important maintenance and renovation projects within a responsible budget,” Cremers said.
Like many home and business owners, his solution is a do-it-yourself approach.
Cremers is creating a UNK construction team that can tackle some of these larger projects at a much lower cost.
“This will be another option,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that local contractors won’t continue to work on campus. They will, because we can’t do everything. But I think we can take on some of the work and see significant savings.”
RANDALL HALL RENO
A recent maintenance/renovation project at Randall Hall served as a pilot for the plan.
The residence hall was experiencing issues related to the insulation around pipes that deliver water for the heating and cooling system. Those pipes would sweat and drip water onto the ceiling.
“We were constantly having to replace insulation and then repair the areas where the leaks were,” Cremers said. “We knew we needed a bigger project to completely replace all of the insulation.”
There were other items that needed to be addressed, too. Since they’d already be working in the building, Cremers coordinated with Residence Life to get Randall Hall taken offline for the entire 2023-24 academic year.
With students relocated to other residence halls on campus, they could improve the HVAC system, get rid of the outdated drop ceilings, install new flooring and light fixtures and paint all 96 rooms plus the basement without disrupting the residents’ day-to-day lives.
After receiving quotes, the estimated cost for all of these upgrades was more than $1.2 million.
“We didn’t have that budget, so that’s when we started talking about doing some things in-house,” Cremers explained.
Although contractors completed much of the work, Facilities Management and Planning saved more than $300,000 by dedicating two full-time employees to the project. They also added to the scope by removing decades-old built-in shelving from each room.
Students returned to Randall Hall for the fall semester, finding rooms with a fresh look and new heating and cooling units that allow them to completely control the temperature while improving energy efficiency.
“Our team really stepped up,” Cremers said. “Based on these results, I think it’s full steam ahead. I think we can really make a go of this and save the university a lot of money on construction services.”
MOVING FORWARD
UNK Facilities Management and Planning has already hired a construction supervisor, Trevor Trine, and shifted painter Randy Best to the in-house construction team. An electrician, plumber, HVAC technician and carpenter will also be added.
“These positions are completely self-funded, so they will be funded by the projects,” Cremers said. “We’re offering competitive wages and benefits, but I still think we can save quite a bit. We might pay anywhere from $75 to $125 an hour for any trade to come on campus and work, but I’m estimating that cost will be around $50 to $55 an hour when we’re utilizing our own employees.”
This approach is expected to reduce the cost of a restroom remodel at the Nebraskan Student Union by about 50%, and UNK employees are also involved in a renovation project at a building along U.S. Highway 30 that will soon serve as the new home of Facilities Management and Planning.
“Our goal is to make every dollar stretch further so we can maintain campus facilities as effectively as possible, even with rising prices and limited resources,” Cremers said. “By doing more of the work in-house, we’re maximizing our budget and ensuring critical projects are still completed without sacrificing quality. This approach not only helps us raise the standards for our facilities, but it also sets the stage for long-term benefits that will positively impact UNK for years to come.”
