Written by Abby Kellett
Despite many rumors, the summer renovations to Searcy Hall did not come as a result of a flood, rotting floors or improvements necessary to pass health and safety inspections. The renovations were a result of the sudden halt put to Sears residence hall improvements.
Sears has all of the machinery necessary to keep the dorm running properly, such as hot water heaters, on top of its roof. This makes it inconvenient for the Physical Resources Department to maintain. Construction began last year to move all Sears’s equipment to a new small building between Searcy Hall and Sears but was postponed due to budget restrictions.
While the funding to complete the new building was inadequate, it was sufficient to make minor renovations to Searcy Hall, which was scheduled to be remodeled in the next few years after Allen Hall.
“We added steel to the building to help support its structure, and we used plywood, carpeting and linoleum to replace the original lightweight concrete flooring,” Danny DeRamus, director of Physical Resources, said.
The renovations, while standard and inevitably needed, had many students and parents concerned.
“I had heard a room on third floor flooded the entire dorm a year ago, which made it really unsafe to walk in, and that’s why they had to hurry and make changes to Searcy this summer,” Chelsea Carver, a junior living in Searcy Hall, said. “Otherwise it wouldn’t have passed fire inspections and things like that.”
Desiree Byrd, the Residence Life Coordinator for Searcy Hall, received several phone calls this summer from parents and students with similar worries.
“The contractor assured me there was nothing structurally unsafe about the building,” Byrd said. “If there had been, we would’ve evacuated everyone immediately, and I certainly wouldn’t have my two little girls living there.”
The renovations were more detailed than the Physical Resources Department had planned on because of the flood that occurred two years ago, not because of anything structurally unsafe.
“When they pulled the carpet up, some of the old, original concrete came up with it, so they had to redo all the floors,” DeRamus said. “However, there were not huge holes in the floor making it unsafe for the girls to walk on.”
The flooring has not been redone since the building was originally built, and many people living in the dorm appreciate the changes.
“You would have to get down on your hands and knees and use a magic marker to get the floors clean last year, and I felt bad for the girls,” Bryd said. “It’s really an improvement this year and much easier to clean.”
Searcy Hall was not the only project the Physical Resource Department had this summer. The Ganus Athletic Center’s pool was resurfaced, Allen dorm was painted and the Ulrey Performing Arts Center has a new section in the back of the building with new lab equipment for machine and shop classrooms.
Though Sears’s machinery still sits on its rooftop, the cutbacks were not a completely negative experience for the Physical Resources Department this summer.
“We were able to polish things that we hadn’t been able to get to for a long time, which was nice,” DeRamus said.
Harding may be making cuts and tightening its belt, but it is not sacrificing quality improvements and supplies.
“We’ll have to be more frugal in times like these with the economy, but we are still making good decisions just like we would if it was our own home,” DeRamus said.
Construction to completely remodel Sears is expected to begin next semester.
