Tearing down to build UL up

Price tags associated with construction projects on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus aren't always as straightforward as they seem.

The most startling discrepancy involves the renovation and expansion of the Student Union, which university spokespeople have consistently said is costing between $36 million and $39 million, despite construction documents from 2012, 2013 and 2014 that all put the price tag at $51 million.

MORE:See what progress has been made

It's something that is complicated, according to Bill Crist, director of facilities management for the university. The actual construction for the student union does ring in at about $36 million, but the total budget for the student union project rings in at about $51 million.

The construction price tag does not include building demolition costs, architect fees, street reconstruction, project furniture and other costs that are included in the project total.

"Sometimes these numbers seem like they're conflicting," Crist said. "But that's because you're talking about the difference between total project cost and just construction costs."

The university borrowed close to $22 million in bonds and used another $19 million in collected student-assessed fees for the project. That wasn't enough to cover the project, so university officials borrowed from the university's auxiliary budget to pay the difference, Crist said.

On the opposite end of the cost discrepancy spectrum is UL's 2012 student-housing project, which university officials have said totaled $100 million while construction documents show the project total as only $79.8 million.

Once again, the prices reflect the total project budget versus the actual construction and renovation cost total of each student residence hall, Crist said.

"Both are official numbers," Crist said, "But there is a huge difference between what each includes."

There are numerous construction projects happening across campus, from the complete renovation of Fletcher Hall and the quadrangle to the construction of a new parking garage and the first tier of athletic improvements.

It's not just construction, but also demolition to make way for the state-of-the-art facilities.

The massive student housing project completed in 2012 involved the razing of five existing buildings, the construction of four new buildings and the renovation of three buildings.

Two more unused dorms, known as Stokes Hall, were recently demolished in addition to a mechanical building and a washateria. The beginning of the student union project included the demolition of a student wellness center, and the completion of the student union will bring about the demolition of three more buildings.

Construction and demolition will continue for several years on the campus as outlined in the UL Master Plan, which is designed to guide the university's growth over the next 10 to 20 years.

But is it always best to demolish buildings in order to construct new ones?

Crist says most of the demolition on campus has been necessary because of the state of buildings that were constructed during an era of corruption in the state.

"These buildings were torn down because they were unusable, basically," Crist said. "They were of poor construction and poor design."

Crist says buildings constructed from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s in Louisiana have been consistently problematic.

The original Student Union, constructed in 1971, is one such building.

"It was a horrible building," Crist said. "And although it functioned for all these years and we made it work, it wasn't a good building, and that had to do with the era in which it was built."

Dennis Spring, professional in residence at Louisiana State University's Department of Construction Management, says it's difficult to say that the entire state had corrupted construction practices for a period of time.

"You'd have to go building by building," Spring said. "There could be one building that is and one that is not. Many years ago, project selections were often political."

A few buildings on the UL campus, such as the Saucier Wellness Clinic and the Baker-Huger dormitory, were not demolished because of poor construction or costly maintenance but because of size and functionality. Larger, more sophisticated dorms replaced Baker-Huger, and the wellness clinic was demolished to make room for the Student Union expansion.

Constructed at the tail end of that era is Fletcher Hall, which houses the the School of Architecture and Design, the Department of Visual Arts and the College of the Arts' Media Center. The building was constructed in 1976 at a cost of $3.2 million and has leaked since the day it opened to students and faculty.

Now, there is about $9.8 million of construction costs going into the building, or $12.25 million for the total project. The money is coming from combined state and university funds.

"This is going to make the building much more functional," Crist said. "And for the first time since it's been completed, it's not going to leak."

In 2009, university officials brought the Fletcher Hall situation before the Louisiana Interim Emergency Board, whose members agreed that the building had deteriorated to a point of needing renovation. Work is still being done on the building five years later, which is actually considered speedy for state-funded projects, Crist said.

During that same time frame, the university privately funded and constructed the student-housing project, a phase of student apartments, a parking garage, the student union and the first tier of athletic improvements.

Although university projects were once mostly funded from state money and institutional dollars, they have been primarily funded in recent years through the private, nonprofit business Ragin' Cajun Facilities Inc., which borrows money for projects that are repaid through specific means, such as rent for dorms or ticket sales for athletic facilities.

"It's a relatively simple system, and all universities in the state use a similar system to operate," Crist said. "For most of these projects, the university doesn't have the bonding capacity or funding means to do these projects without this private nonprofit."

There are five members of the Ragin' Cajun Facilities board, including Crist and UL Vice President of Administration and Finance Jerry Luke LeBlanc, local attorney Nicholas Gachassin Jr., local public accountant David Fontenot and local businessman Hunter Trahan.

Fontenot is the newest member of the board, who says he joined as a way to improve the facilities at the university.

"I volunteered because of my love for the university as a way to be more involved in the ongoing improvement of the campus," Fontenot said. "It's growing by leaps and bounds from both the UL and the Athletic master plans. It's a way of keeping active in the university and taking part in some of the decision making."