Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Higher education Pulaski Tech downtown move could $6 million more UPDATE
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 2:38 PM
I got a brief telephone report from Pulaski Tech trustee Mary Jane Rebick on a board meeting today to discuss a proposal from Little Rock officials that the two-year college build its new culinary and hotel management school on a vacant lot at Sixth and Main rather than, as planned, on property at the south campus on Interstate 30.
City officials think the school could be part of a dream to revive Main Street as a place for artists, young residents and dining and entertainment venues. Pulaski Tech has $15 million in the bank for a new school and solid estimates it can build the facility for that amount in Southwest Little Rock.
Rebick said one concern was addressed today. If Pulaski Tech built the school downtown, it would be fully self-contained. Students wouldn't have to go to other campuses for required classes. That, in turn, means more square footage and more cost, she said.
But the bigger concern is cost — perhaps $6 million more to build downtown, by one estimate.
Rebick said there was now a general understanding on both sides that the downtown location, with multiple stories and elevators on a smaller lot, would be more expensive, particularly with added classroom space. It could be as much as $3 to $4 million more, she told me. She said the city will study further on that, including possible sources of additional money. But the difference could be much greater. An estimate produced by independent consultants for the school estimated the Arkansas Culinary Institute would cost $15.4 million fully equipped on the South Campus, but $21.2 million downtown.
UPDATE: More details on the discussion from the Times' Cheree Franco, who was there:
Downtown developer Jimmy Moses suggested possibly renovating existing buildings as a means of saving money. He suggested the former Osco Drugstore, with 10,000 to 12,000 square feet, and the smaller Phillip's Men's Store, both just south of the vacant lot, as potential candidates. John Barnes, chairman of the trustee's academic affairs committee, mentioned that in his experience, renovation can be more expensive than building new. There was also discussion about exploring state funds for historical renovation and public grants.
According to Barnes, Pulaski Tech wants to pattern the culinary school after the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. "What we're proposing is our configuration for the CIA of Central Arkansas," he said. "As a tech school, we have few opportunities to strut our stuff to the general public. We want the culinary school to be a tourist destination."
"There's a reason 24 out of the top 26 culinary schools go to urban locations. I think you can only be truly great downtown," Moses said. "Greatness only happens for universities that think way out of the box. You all deserve to come downtown."
The current downtown proposal presented by the Pulaski Tech building committee, includes a ground floor hospitality room that would seat 175 and could host events. The addition of culinary shops and a bookstore was also mentioned as a way to increase revenue and draw passersby.
"This is not about Warren Stephens. Let's not make this about any personality. Let's make this about enriching Pulaski Tech, our students and the city," said Barnes, referring to the Stephens Inc. CEO who controls a number of parcels on Main Street but hasn't revealed any plans for development on them. His contribution to the culinary school would be a markdown on kitchen equipment, from the Viking Corporation in which he has a financial interest. The school's cost estimate figured the relative costs of that equipment at $2.75 million in Southwest Little Rock and $2.5 million downtown. In considering construction costs, Barnes added that "we're trying to get away from the lowest bidder. We want buildings that will be here in 90 years."
Pulaski Tech borrowed $12 million in September, which is costing roughly $57,000 in monthly interest. According to Barnes, this is why it's crucial that the project break ground by Jan. 1, whether they build downtown or on the south campus.
Barnes told city representatives that Pulaski Tech needs a cleared land title, 270 parking spaces, land leased at $1 a year and a commitment to cover any costs in excess of $15 million before it will agree to locate downtown.
A rendering by Taggart Architects shows a five-story glass and steel building with a rooftop deck.
"To bridge this gap [in finances] is a tremendous effort. It's going to take some time to put that plan together," said Phillip Tappan of the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission. They tentatively scheduled a Dec. 20 meeting to hear the city's final concessions.
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Comments (18)
Showing 1-18 of 18
If I had an extra three or four million, I'd donate it for the cause.
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With the number of empty buildings downtown, wouldn't it be better for the area to renovate one of them instead of adding another structure to the existing mix?
It's not Main Street but look at the old Arkla Building over on E. Capitol. Massahs Witt and Jack had a huge fully equipped kitchen on the 4th floor there, just so their Help could keep them supplied with biscuits and gravy and fried chicken. there is some state tenant in there now, but they could be moved to one of Bill Walker's flimflam deals on W. Capitol.
Nice if it could go down-town...The New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, VT is pretty much down-town. The students must work at several of the local restaurants as part of their course work. NECI is a well known commodity for the city. A quality culinary institute would be something that adds to the city. The NECI graduation I attended was a city wide event; the food was great. Find the money, make it work, get the local chefs involved to mentor and help students get on their way. It can only add to the level of culinary expertise and experience in Little Rock.
How many students would be in the culinary school? How many do they hope to have in the future? 15 students is a million each, 15,000 students is only 1 grand each.
I bet Hobart would give better than a 30% discount for the dishwasher machine with the little sprayer/rinse thing if it were kept out in SWLR near a Dennys and Arbys.
If they weren't done deciding why did they borrow $12M???!!! Which banker is making $57K/month to keep a loan on his books while the cash is still deposited in his bank???
No doubt, use an existing building. Several are on main street.
The good suit club doesn't want to invest their own money in the downtown infrastructure to bring it back to life. We continue to build cheap out west rather than balance development costs which would aid downtown development. When they say artists and young residents they mean slight renovation on the cheap in old buildings. But when Moses and his boys get through with it it's all high end, empty, return to the lender stuff. They haven't built a single unit that a young person can afford and that was during the biggest housing boom in a hundred years.
Putting such a facility downtown would make sense in an urban environment. LR is a virtual ghost town after 5. Name me a restaurant that you frequent regularly that wants downtown competition. Putting in public funds with no matching committment from the good suit club will only lead to wasted funds for a facility that will compete with existing business in a difficult economy. Of course putting it on County Line Road won't make much of a destination either.
As Theo points out, the money argument is a hoax. You pay on monies borrowed after they leave the bank. There would be one month of $57K the last month before the loan went permanent. The fact that they already have an architect's design for downtown tells you this has been in the works for a few months at least.
The Banana Republic will not invest in growth. They just want your money.
The Portland Culinary Inst is on or near their streetcar line because they paid naming rights for one of the streetcar stops...so let's extend the streetcar down Main while we're at it...a direct link between the cooking school and Joe Fox' Community Bakery ought to have some kinda synergy!
Building the culinary school on I-30 would be the most monumental mistake Pulaski Tech could make and frankly a waste of state taxpayer money. The plan on along was to build a three story building on I-30 and so I highly question the "independent consultant" on the increased construction costs downtown. What having the Culinary school downtown will actually generate a return on the state investment of $15,000,000 by generating more sales tax and income taxes by the economic development impact that this school will make. Culinary Schools can be major tourism attractions and the possibilities are endless when looking potential spin off businesses and partnerships that the Arkansas Culinary School would have. In addition Pulaski Tech would enhance its ability to garner private giving which would be more likely if located in an area that other businesses would see a benefit and be more inclined to contribute to the cause. This would not happen if the facility is located on I-30.
Unfortunately, it won't happen downtown either. There is a plan for LR. But, it hasn't been developed yet.
Millions went into the River Market. It is a bit touristy. Argenta is young and artistic and on the rail line. Just sticking stuff in the middle of empty buildings and making up good stuff that will surely happen is not a plan.
I'll bet that if PT does proceed with the CBD location that the additional costs will be closer to 12 and probably 15 million more than the amount for the I-30 siting.
Why not have a completely "tour-able " facility with a fully visible, film-able, street front, celebrity guest, professor chefs?? Food shows are the "it" factor of the reality TV world....
Down town LR would be the ultimate location!
Once again our mayor has a thought, but no plan. What's really interesting to me is the hiccup of the additional 6 million, look both way before crossing the street, We bout to get hit with a 6 million dollar bill from Pulaski Tech, those folk south of 630 gon be pissed, there went their skill center,re-entry programming,sidewalks and street repair.
Umm... isn't the headline here missing a verb?
Missing a comma AND ... why is isn't capitalized? How many m's in um?
Do you wish perfect grammar and punctuation or substance for debate and discussion?
Development without growth is simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We have accepted LRs fate for so long now that we have actually institutionalized its decline. All of the highways, roads, businesses, homes and schools built in Cabot, Conway, and Saline County in the last ten years have established central arkansas growth areas while downtown during the same period has gradually been sold off to the state. More and more business will continue to locate in the suburbs and out of town, at lower cost, and closer to workers and management. To simply assume that increased travel cost will one day benefit downtown is to ignore 30 years of growth that didn't take place and can't be replaced. This train is only going one direction. The more parking lots they build, the more they are going to need.
This facility was obviously not intended as a destination or all of the planning would not have been toward county line road. That is just another clever package to sell. These jobs are for McDonalds and Chili's, not Ashley's.
I-30 location is DOA, dunno why anyone's even considering it...great location for gun and knife shows, not so much for education or torrential downpours, or $4/gal gas. Over the last eleven years, i've literally watched out my Block 2 living room window as downtown LR's transformation happened. It went from "No WAY would I EVER live there" to the current, vibrant, 24 hour neighborhood that it has become. Back then, the naysayers gave flippant, curt reasons why the River Market concept was a boondoggle and waste of money-pointing, fairly, to the failure of the MetroCentre Mall concept. The major difference between the previous failure and the ongoing success, was people LIVING downtown. The overbuild of high-end residences will take some time to fully absorb, but there is no doubt a need for affordable, low maintenance housing downtown, certainly if students are to attend classes and ultimately find skilled jobs in the low paying service industry. I like the 6th and Main idea, coupled with 6-8 story lofts built 4 blocks further south on Main at the abandoned Cook Jeep dealership. Creating foot traffic between the proposed campus location and affordable housing for the students "fills the gaps", not to mention as a stimulus to the SoMa district....introducing hundreds of basic, loft-style, affordable (read:artists, students, young people) housing units to provide those businesses the critical mass they need to sustain and thrive. Go BIG I say, 'cos the success is out there, just waiting to happen-i'm looking at it out my living room window right now.
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