According to Vice President of facilities, Michael Davis, the university is improving the campus with a number of projects.

Davis said that there are two air handlers located in Polk and White Halls that are currently going out that will be replaced at the end of the fall semester.

Without these air handlers, cold air could not circulate in the building leaving it to be extremely hot according to Davis. Which means they need to be replaced as soon as possible.
“We are hoping that the handlers will make it until it is time to replace them,” Davis said.

The air handler in Polk Hall will be replaced first and will cost about $29,000 to complete. White Hall will be changed out at a later date because of how difficult it is to get to the handler in that hall, which means will cost more to replace.

“The air handler in White Hall should cost about $50,000 to complete, which is a bit more than Polk Hall. The project will be held off until we can receive more funds.”

Another project that will soon be underway is the Ellender Memorial Library light fixtures that will now be located on the walls in the main staircase.

These will be added because the original light, located on the ceiling of the third floor is very difficult to get to and will cost a lot of money when it needs to be replaced. There will be new light fixtures along the whole staircase making it easier to maintenance.

This project will cost around $10,000, $5,000 cheaper than it would be to maintenance and reach the old light fixture on the third floor.

The funds for the library project were given to Nicholls in a grant provided by the Lorio Foundation.

Talbot Hall renovations have been put off due to the Christmas holidays, but the designs are being sent for approval in Baton Rouge tomorrow. Work is set to begin in March 2015.
Renovations to the men’s locker room in Stopher Gym have also been put on hold due to the project going over budget by $52,000. Renovations will resume once extra funds are awarded to Nicholls State University by the state.

Improvements to the field behind the football stadium and in front of the soccer field are nearing completion, according to Davis.

“These renovations may not be easily noticed by faculty, staff and students, but they are small things that make a huge difference to the campus once they are completed,” Davis said.