POCAHONTAS, AR -Black River Technical College (BRTC) recently received $4.7 million from the Arkansas State and Local Recovery funds allocated by the American Rescue Plan Act to help construct barracks to house BRTC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) recruits while attending classes.
BRTC’s LETA is the primary trainer of law enforcement officers for Northeast Arkansas (NEA), training 100-120 officers for local police stations and sheriff’s offices, Arkansas Highway Police, Arkansas State Police, and other state and local agencies. The distance to training academies in other parts of the state necessitates BRTC’s local program. LETA’s recruits travel to BRTC from across the state to attend.
Students are often unable to travel home after every class and require housing to attend training, but with no on-campusfacilities, local motels were previously rented. Motel rental constituted the 2nd largest budget item for the program. In addition, the college and students found the motels unsuitable, because motel costs increase yearly; frequent insect, bedbug, and roach as well as rodent and animal infestations occur; dents, scratches, and other damage occur to students’ state-issued vehicles; drug deals and patron intoxication occur outside rooms; and students have been physically and verbally accosted by motel patrons.
BRTC is certain the barracks will stabilize housing costs, control recruits after-hour activities, allow monitoring of ill students, allow after-hour and specialized training, provide for additional academy courses, and also serve as accommodations to the many required guest instructors including those from FEMA, U.S. Secret Service, ATF, FBI, CJI, and AR State Police.
“LETA’s state budget has not changed since its inception in 1999. Housing costs have incited a need for stable housing, and the distance many of our recruits travel to attend requires a safe and stable environment to promote learning,” said BRTC President Dr. Martin Eggensperger. “Arkansas law also requires BRTC to provide training, room and board, and washers and dryers at no cost to the students or the departments they will be employed by, so an offset in cost is needed as well.”
A breakdown of the expected costs of construction of the barracks is as follows:
Total sq. ft. 18,900 @$250.00/sq. ft.
$4,725,000
Drainage and Earthwork
37,500
Total Construction
$4,762,500
Fixtures, Furniture, and Equipment
Fixtures, Furniture, andEquipment
$895,175
Professional Fees and Other Costs
7% of Subtotal
$333,375
Architectural Expenses
33,375
Soils Analysis
6,250
Project Contingency
250,000
Total Fees & Other Costs
$623,000
Project Total:
$6,280,675
Note: Budget does not include significant soils undercut (contingency to cover unknowns in project development) or parkingbut includes some sidewalks and minor site development. Numbers
based on a March 11, 2020, estimate.