While students were at home for a (hopefully) relaxing summer break, the campus facilities team was hard at work improving and renovating campus spaces.
This summer, the Gray Outdoor Venue was officially opened for use. This multi-use facility both enhances our athletic program and enriches campus life. The space includes an 8-lane track, turf field and stadium seating for 1000 spectators. The Gray Outdoor Venue also has two buildings. Building one serves as a meeting space that also functions as a press box or event management space, kitchen, small training room and office. Building two features two women’s locker rooms, two men’s locker rooms, public restrooms and storage space. “Conveniently located behind the Luce, this new venue is the perfect spot to watch the sunset and cheer on our student-athletes,” stated Executive Cabinet Publicist Julianne Knox.
In addition to finishing the Gray Outdoor Venue, facilities renovated Trustees and parts of Bellevue. Last summer, facilities worked on renovating the Glide-Crawford lobby. This summer, the facilities team installed new ceiling tile in the east wing, along with new grid and tile on all three floors, including some third-floor insulation between the ceiling and the roof. Additionally, new LED lights were installed all throughout the rooms, halls and lobbies. Lastly, all of the carpet was removed and replaced with luxury vinyl tile.
Trustees is not the only residential area to receive renovations this summer. While Bellevue was historically used to house faculty and staff, it is now being fully converted into student housing, with this transition beginning last academic year. Over the summer, Bellevue 104 B and C, along with Bellevue 106 B, were converted into student housing, with apartment 104A serving as the new RD apartment for Aldersgate. This apartment received a full renovation, with some of the other apartments getting new flooring, paint and water heaters.
The Kentucky Outdoor Institute (KOI) was relocated to the Hamman-Ray 112 on the first floor. Facilities installed new flooring in Hamman-Ray 112 and removed the old islands that were there for science labs. Additionally, new countertops were installed and the walls were painted.
While the work that is done by facilities often goes unnoticed, the facilities team cares deeply for the Asbury community. This is evident in the thoughtfulness and intentionality behind their work. Brian Hobson, Director of Facilities and Capital Construction, stated, “I think a lot of the people that come here and work are called for one reason or another to serve God first and the students second, and really try to do our best to take care of you all and take care of this university because we know what it means for the community.” He continued, “We really do work that way and try to do our best every single day to try to deal with all of the nuances that come with running a university’s facilities and all the things that can and can’t happen. There’s just a lot to it, there really is.” Despite the volume of work that is done by the facilities team, it is not a large group of people who manage our campus.
Renovations like the ones that took place over the summer are actually a passion project for Hobson. “I love getting into some of the older buildings and looking at the nuances that have been there over time. Sometimes you find things from 50, 60 or 70 years ago…We keep an archive of old items and technology and pieces of equipment that we’ve pulled away from campus. It’s really exciting to connect the past and the present.”
Not only do these renovations improve campus for students, but they also leave a permanent impact on campus as a whole. “Any time we get to renovate something and see what has been there, along with what is coming next, and to see a part of that history is very exciting for me. It’s something permanent that you leave. That’s something I can look back on when I retire and be like ‘Hey, I contributed to that just being a part of something bigger.’”
While a lot of exciting renovations took place this past summer, there is still so much more to look forward to. On Sept. 28, a new dishwasher will be installed and available for the cafeteria staff, which will greatly improve efficiency in meal preparation and cleanup, allowing them to better serve our campus community.
Additionally, the facilities team will start planning over the next couple of months what projects they will be doing both during winter break and next summer.
Students can expect more information later in the year as plans are finalized. In the meantime, the projects completed this summer already have made a visible impact on daily life across campus, from upgraded housing and classrooms to the addition of the Gray Outdoor Venue.
With each renovation, the facilities team continues to expand and improve campus spaces, ensuring that they remain functional for students, faculty and staff while also preparing the university for long-term growth.
Photo courtesy of Asbury University.
