By Matthew Parris
Renovations for Johnson Hall and Jernigan are planned to begin this summer.
Johnson Hall’s renovations have already been approved, and are budgeted for around $700,000, said David Caldwell, executive vice president of administration and finance.
The two most significant renovations to the dorm will be the addition of electronic doors for the main and hall entrances, and the reorganization of bathrooms to create more space, said Glen Linthicum, director of plant operations.
“This year, we’ll give it the same treatment that we gave to the sister dorms,” said Linthicum. “We will be moving the potty, shifting the tub-shower combo into a shower. What we’ll do is we’ll shift the commode over and turn the shower, which helps with ventilation.”
The rearranging of the toilet and shower will clear up space in the 5-foot-2 by 4-foot bathroom, while the switch to fiberglass will make the showers easier to clean.
“It’s a matter of volume: four girls using one shower once, twice a day, as opposed to a residential area where one person might use a shower once a day,” said Linthicum. “They’ll have an easier time cleaning. It’s a little easier, a little better, more what they’re used to at home. It just has a better look and feel, and of course it’s brand new. It also keeps from the dreaded ‘M’ word: mold, mildew.”
The Bluetooth electronic doors are another significant addition to the dorm, and it will be the first instance of Trevecca using them for a residence. They will be activated by either a phone or a card key, and a log record who has accessed the door at what time, Caldwell said. Many staff see this addition as being a security based decision.
“In the dorms they know that the curfew is midnight or 2 a.m., but you always have girls who forget their key or something,” said Katherine Bell, resident director of Johnson Hall. “I can see, from a security standpoint, why a card scanner would be excellent.”
Other renovations for Johnson will include fixing plumbing and air conditioning issues, painting, carpeting, reorganizing the wireless access points of the buildings and making improvements in the basement area, including potentially creating a new two-bed room. The amount of washers and dryers will also be doubled, which Bell said will be very helpful.
“That is a critical issue in Johnson,” she said. “Right now we have three washing machines and four dryers, for approximately 100 girls. Most of the other girls dorms are at eight I think, so that is something we are really looking forward to.”
The Jernigan renovations have not yet been finalized, and are pending approval until Trevecca renews its food provider contract on Apr. 1.
“We’re going to try to get feedback from [the food provider] so we can go back in with the architect and finish designing what we’re going to do in the kitchen/cafeteria area, and then once you get that done, you can start finishing the rest of the building,” said Caldwell. “We’re kind of sitting at a standstill right now until we get the food service part figured out.”
While specifics are uncertain, tentative plans for Jernigan are to fix the core mechanics such as heating, plumbing, and air conditioning, as well as adding more eating and gathering space for the students. According to Linthicum, there are plans to push the back wall of the bookstore downstairs out to make more room in the Hub, as well as to move the glass curtain out towards McClurkan, getting rid of the balcony seating on that side of the building to create more space.
“As Trevecca experiences this growth in student population, we’re going to need more room in the caf,” Linthicum said.
While Caldwell hopes to start renovations on Jernigan in addition to Johnson this summer, it will likely take two years because of the amount of work to be done, and the limited time available to work on the projects.
