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And then there's this from Arkansas Business.com as well... http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article.as...10.98916.109155

UALR Workshop to Discuss Neighborhood Planning

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will conduct a community workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss efforts to improve and develop its surrounding neighborhood.

I was one of well over 100 attendees at tonight's event. There close to the stage that the ULI Midtown Study was in 1999. Some of the concepts include a research park, making Asher/Colonel Glenn and University a 'signature' intersection, and increase medium density multifamily development. There was a lot of energy and there seems to be a lot of consensus.

No one is kidding themselves. The leaders involved understand that there is no existing incentive to redevelop in the area. They don't believe what they are doing is going to "jump start" economic development. The objective is to develop a conceptual plan that will hopefully guide development should it occur. The thinking being done today is for 10-20 years.

That said, there is something being constructed on Asher, right now. There are steel girders being erected across from Kaufman Lumber. This site is just west of where the Culinary school will be built.

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This looks like a good thread to ask my question, so here goes:

I'm a grad student @ UAF right now working on a Master of Public Admin. My wife is working toward her nursing degree.

We originally came to Fayetteville after I graduated from UCA because we like the area, the athletics, etc.

Only now, we're starting to wonder if we wouldn't be better served living in Little Rock. The UAMS nursing program is light-years beyond what they have @ the UA, and the MPA program @ UALR has more access to state government, does more research, and seems to be better funded that the one up here @ UA.

There are other considerations to make, but in the end we're worried about getting the best education. What do you all think? Should we look @ relocating to Little Rock for these programs? Does anyone know anything about either of them?

I really like Fayetteville & Little Rock; I could be happy living in either place, but pursing the best education (and, in my field, the opportunity to network with state-level officials) is paramount.

Thouhgts?

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Well for your wife UAMS would by far be her best option in the state if for no other reason than she can get her Bachelors in Nursing and in my search for a Urban Planning school i'm mainly focused on school's located in urban areas for the reasons you stated... mostly more opportunities. but im sure U of A offers a great education as well

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Well, you can get a bachelor's in nursing @ the UA, too, but the teaching technology and the nursing exam pass-rates are much better @ UAMS than UA.

I originally came to UA because I thought it would be a good chance to get experience working in a quickly-growing metro area; I thought it would be like a lab of sorts. And it is, but I've decided that I want to get a more broad-based degree, with elements in intergovernmentalism, budgeting, state & local politics, law -- more than just urban/regional planning and city government. So, I thought being close to the capitol/state agencies in LR would be better, and the chance to do research is greater there. But I really like Fayetteville as well, and I'm not sure I want to leave. It's just a difficult decision, and I am bad at making personal decisions!

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Well, you can get a bachelor's in nursing @ the UA, too, but the teaching technology and the nursing exam pass-rates are much better @ UAMS than UA.

I originally came to UA because I thought it would be a good chance to get experience working in a quickly-growing metro area; I thought it would be like a lab of sorts. And it is, but I've decided that I want to get a more broad-based degree, with elements in intergovernmentalism, budgeting, state & local politics, law -- more than just urban/regional planning and city government. So, I thought being close to the capitol/state agencies in LR would be better, and the chance to do research is greater there. But I really like Fayetteville as well, and I'm not sure I want to leave. It's just a difficult decision, and I am bad at making personal decisions!

Have you or your wife emailed the UALR Deans for the programs you have questions? That is what I would do. They should be able to help you obtain information you need to make a decision, or direct you to a professor who can help you.

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This looks like a good thread to ask my question, so here goes:

I'm a grad student @ UAF right now working on a Master of Public Admin. My wife is working toward her nursing degree.

We originally came to Fayetteville after I graduated from UCA because we like the area, the athletics, etc.

Only now, we're starting to wonder if we wouldn't be better served living in Little Rock. The UAMS nursing program is light-years beyond what they have @ the UA, and the MPA program @ UALR has more access to state government, does more research, and seems to be better funded that the one up here @ UA.

There are other considerations to make, but in the end we're worried about getting the best education. What do you all think? Should we look @ relocating to Little Rock for these programs? Does anyone know anything about either of them?

I really like Fayetteville & Little Rock; I could be happy living in either place, but pursing the best education (and, in my field, the opportunity to network with state-level officials) is paramount.

Thouhgts?

It sounds like LR would be the better situation, especially from the government standpoint. Now, if you were an engineer and a business major it would be a different matter.

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I read in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that there are plans to build an apartment complex on the old Coleman Dairy site. The main purpose of these apartments will be for UALR students

This is the announcement I alluded to earlier on this thread. There may be some soft retail, like a Starbucks. The developer specializes in student-type housing. Should it be constructed, It would be ideal to make a four-way intersection with signalization at Asher and Campus Dr across to the new development. Students will need safe passage across Asher on to campus.

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This is the announcement I alluded to earlier on this thread. There may be some soft retail, like a Starbucks. The developer specializes in student-type housing. Should it be constructed, It would be ideal to make a four-way intersection with signalization at Asher and Campus Dr across to the new development. Students will need safe passage across Asher on to campus.

I agree. A special wide crosswalk, perhaps with its own light, might be reasonable as well. Asher isn't a major commuter route anyway.

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This looks like a good thread to ask my question, so here goes:

I'm a grad student @ UAF right now working on a Master of Public Admin. My wife is working toward her nursing degree.

We originally came to Fayetteville after I graduated from UCA because we like the area, the athletics, etc.

Only now, we're starting to wonder if we wouldn't be better served living in Little Rock. The UAMS nursing program is light-years beyond what they have @ the UA, and the MPA program @ UALR has more access to state government, does more research, and seems to be better funded that the one up here @ UA.

There are other considerations to make, but in the end we're worried about getting the best education. What do you all think? Should we look @ relocating to Little Rock for these programs? Does anyone know anything about either of them?

I really like Fayetteville & Little Rock; I could be happy living in either place, but pursing the best education (and, in my field, the opportunity to network with state-level officials) is paramount.

Thouhgts?

NASPAA accredidation... I'd head to LR just for that. I've heard the program has some killer internship opportunities. I'm thinking about forgoing getting a MURP/MCP/MUPP/MCRP (urban planning degree everyone has different names for it) out of state and getting an MPA and getting involved with the urban studies program just to get myself planted in somewhere.

Not to mention housing is cheaper in LR. You can buy a house around UALR for far less than renting a decent apartment in Fayetteville. You could turn around and rent it out once you get good jobs. It just seems like there is a lot more opportunity in LR as odd as that sounds coming from an NWA'er.

If you want an honest appraisal, you might email Marsha Guffey (CD director with the city of Benton Benton's website). She is a former faculty member of the UALR MPA program. She left to have some real world experience outside academia.

Oh yeah, tuition is a lot cheaper too...

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NASPAA accredidation... I'd head to LR just for that. I've heard the program has some killer internship opportunities. I'm thinking about forgoing getting a MURP/MCP/MUPP/MCRP (urban planning degree everyone has different names for it) out of state and getting an MPA and getting involved with the urban studies program just to get myself planted in somewhere.

Not to mention housing is cheaper in LR. You can buy a house around UALR for far less than renting a decent apartment in Fayetteville. You could turn around and rent it out once you get good jobs. It just seems like there is a lot more opportunity in LR as odd as that sounds coming from an NWA'er.

If you want an honest appraisal, you might email Marsha Guffey (CD director with the city of Benton Benton's website). She is a former faculty member of the UALR MPA program. She left to have some real world experience outside academia.

Oh yeah, tuition is a lot cheaper too...

To a previous poster, I have gotten in touch with the school about the programs my wife & I were interested in, and they seem like they would be good fits. I guess I was just looking for some outisde opinions.

The NASPAA accredidation is a bigger deal than I realized when I first applied to MPA programs; you really need to look at those accredited programs if you want some kind of diversity in your classes. My classes at UA feel very repetitive of my undergrad @ UCA.

And I would love to live in a house near UALR vs. renting the Lindsey crackerbox I live in here in Fayetteville. :shades:

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Joe Kliene

And in all fairness, Kleine is a bit more than just a "former Razorback".

He won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics and was a 1st team All-American at UA after transferring from Notre Dame. He had a 14 year NBA career and won chamionships with the Celtics and Bulls. He's a successful businessman and owns the Corky's franchises in Arkansas among other ventures. His home in West LR's Hickory Creek was the location of a fundraiser when President Bush came to town. He's a Colorado native but chose Arkansas and then chose to make his home here, which makes him even more interesting in my book.

I don't know that he has any coaching experience but I think he would make an excellent coach.

Edited by Aporkalypse
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Joe Klein owns Corkys'?!?! I didn't know that. Would explain all the memorabilia -- I guess I just wasn't paying attention.

On another subject, can anyone suggest some good rental housing options near UALR?

Lots of rentals in the Broadmoore area between $600 and $800/month for a 2-3 bedroom home.

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He's a Colorado native but chose Arkansas and then chose to make his home here, which makes him even more interesting in my book.

I don't know that he has any coaching experience but I think he would make an excellent coach.

Colorado? I always thought he was a KC guy. Super Joe from Slater MO

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Joe Klein owns Corkys'?!?! I didn't know that. Would explain all the memorabilia -- I guess I just wasn't paying attention.

On another subject, can anyone suggest some good rental housing options near UALR?

Broadmoor is middle class and affordable and essentially right by UALR.

Other neighborhoods north of I-630 closer to more retail and restaurants and a bit cleaner and safer I would strongly consider are Leawood and Tanglewood, which are a bit higher in price. Hillcrest is trendy but higher-priced than the other areas. The Hall High neighborhood is a good compromise - there are a lot of affordable rental homes and it's close to Park Plaza and Hillcrest at a better price, still in a low-crime area. Cammack Village also has a fair number of smaller rental homes that are affordable and a good location.

All of these neighborhoods should be affordable and clean and safe and should be within 5 min or so of UALR, 10 in the worst traffic. I'd be a bit more cautious about checking out the neighbors around Broadmoor than north of I-630, though it's still largely middle class.

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Broadmoor is middle class and affordable and essentially right by UALR.

Other neighborhoods north of I-630 closer to more retail and restaurants and a bit cleaner and safer I would strongly consider are Leawood and Tanglewood, which are a bit higher in price. Hillcrest is trendy but higher-priced than the other areas. The Hall High neighborhood is a good compromise - there are a lot of affordable rental homes and it's close to Park Plaza and Hillcrest at a better price, still in a low-crime area. Cammack Village also has a fair number of smaller rental homes that are affordable and a good location.

All of these neighborhoods should be affordable and clean and safe and should be within 5 min or so of UALR, 10 in the worst traffic. I'd be a bit more cautious about checking out the neighbors around Broadmoor than north of I-630, though it's still largely middle class.

Broadmoor would be fine, but I think I would stay away from anything south of UALR/Asher/Col. Glenn. Not even so much for safety, but just the fact that there's little to no desirable areas south of there and they would offer nothing that any of the areas Aporkalypse suggested do offer.

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Broadmoor would be fine, but I think I would stay away from anything south of UALR/Asher/Col. Glenn. Not even so much for safety, but just the fact that there's little to no desirable areas south of there and they would offer nothing that any of the areas Aporkalypse suggested do offer.

South of Asher there's no residential to speak off in reasonable walking or biking distance of UALR. If you're getting in your car to get to the campus, why live south of Asher as opposed to anywhere else? That area needs more roads and sidewalks connecting to UALR.

Broadmoor is fine though. The block's not busted yet, and all the houses are well-kept.

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South of Asher there's no residential to speak off in reasonable walking or biking distance of UALR. If you're getting in your car to get to the campus, why live south of Asher as opposed to anywhere else? That area needs more roads and sidewalks connecting to UALR.

Broadmoor is fine though. The block's not busted yet, and all the houses are well-kept.

Come on. Move to Broadmoor. We'll put you to work. You can volunteer at the pool, help on park work days, and participate in the University District meetings.

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Come on. Move to Broadmoor. We'll put you to work. You can volunteer at the pool, help on park work days, and participate in the University District meetings.

That actually sounds kinda fun. I'm a sucker when it comes to volunteering for manual labor. Being involved in the neighborhood would be nice, too.

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  • 1 month later...

Perhaps it is a stretch for this forum, but I am able to see the continuity with the impressive news below and our discussions within some of the topics of this forum. To have a local pool of highly educated and skilled construction employees should be a plus for economic development in our state. Currently, UALR's Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems Engineering only offers an undergrad degree in Construction Management. They would like to expand with a Masters program. When I spoke with an academic adviser about the program in 2003, he said the biggest problem with the program is that juniors and seniors were getting hired for 70K+ with the intention of completing the program. Many of the students were not returning because the companies they went to work for didn't require it of them.

ASC/AGC National Construction Management Competition 2007

Heavy/Civil Division

UALR's Construction Management Heavy/Civil Team placed THIRD in the NATION at the annual Associated Schools of Construction and Associated General Contractors student competition. The team, coached by Michael Tramel, consisted of Waylon Corley, Angel Corley, Lisa Bishop, Jeremy Land, Miyoshi Stringer, and Kevin Young. Over 242 universities across the country competed in seven regional competitions with only the first place teams advancing to the Nationals held in San Antonio, TX. The Heavy/Civil Division consisted of teams from Auburn University, Brigham Young University, Oregon State University, Penn College, University of Cincinnati, University of Nebraska, and University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Granite Construction Company, based in California, sponsored the National Competition and was responsible for compiling and judging the construction problem. Granite selected the $14,680,328.00 Whitewater River Bridge Project as the competition problem. This project consisted of elevating an 1100-foot section of roadway over the Whitewater River Channel. The existing dip crossing was to be replaced with an all-weather crossing to alleviate issues with channel flow conditions and flash flooding. The project also contained of a 437-foot pre-cast concrete girder bridge, extensive channel excavation/modifications, landscaped roadway side slopes, curb inlets, storm drain outlets, and an electrical structure. The major challenge was removing and replacing the bridge along its original centerline while still providing an open 28-foot minimum roadway width. There was also extensive channel work to be performed and construction had to be scheduled around rainy season and year round flash flooding.

The team was confined to a hotel room without Internet access or cell phones for 16 hours, starting at 6:00 am in the morning and ending at 10:00 pm at night. Each team was given the project problem binder, one set of plans, and one set of specifications. The teams were required to do twelve extensive unit price estimates for the following contract items: relocation of a water line, roadway excavation, channel siltation excavation, bridge structure excavation, and backfill, import borrow materials, roadway embankment, crushed aggregate base, asphalt concrete, ARHM surfacing/overlay, structural concrete for the bridge footing, and the erection of the pre-cast concrete bridge. Then the team was required to prepare a detailed Critical Path Method schedule, evaluate supplier/subcontractor price quotes, answer 20 contract document questions, and prepare/submit the bid proposal in accordance with the specification requirements.

The problem required each team member to demonstrate skills in quantity take-off, unit cost estimating, scheduling, subcontract analysis, equipment production, crew productivity, traffic control, and contract document interpretations. The team was also required to attend a mock bid letting where they had to submit a written cost proposal along with the answers to 20 contract document questions. The next day the team was required to do a 20-minute oral presentation with the judges asking questions for an additional 20 minutes.

Granite Construction commented at the awards dinner that this was UALR's first time at the Nationals and how impressed they were that we took third place. UALR can truly be proud of the hard work and dedication of the Heavy/Civil Competition Team.

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Perhaps it is a stretch for this forum, but I am able to see the continuity with the impressive news below and our discussions within some of the topics of this forum. To have a local pool of highly educated and skilled construction employees should be a plus for economic development in our state. Currently, UALR's Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems Engineering only offers an undergrad degree in Construction Management. They would like to expand with a Masters program. When I spoke with an academic adviser about the program in 2003, he said the biggest problem with the program is that juniors and seniors were getting hired for 70K+ with the intention of completing the program. Many of the students were not returning because the companies they went to work for didn't require it of them.

ASC/AGC National Construction Management Competition 2007

Heavy/Civil Division

UALR's Construction Management Heavy/Civil Team placed THIRD in the NATION at the annual Associated Schools of Construction and Associated General Contractors student competition. The team, coached by Michael Tramel, consisted of Waylon Corley, Angel Corley, Lisa Bishop, Jeremy Land, Miyoshi Stringer, and Kevin Young. Over 242 universities across the country competed in seven regional competitions with only the first place teams advancing to the Nationals held in San Antonio, TX. The Heavy/Civil Division consisted of teams from Auburn University, Brigham Young University, Oregon State University, Penn College, University of Cincinnati, University of Nebraska, and University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Granite Construction Company, based in California, sponsored the National Competition and was responsible for compiling and judging the construction problem. Granite selected the $14,680,328.00 Whitewater River Bridge Project as the competition problem. This project consisted of elevating an 1100-foot section of roadway over the Whitewater River Channel. The existing dip crossing was to be replaced with an all-weather crossing to alleviate issues with channel flow conditions and flash flooding. The project also contained of a 437-foot pre-cast concrete girder bridge, extensive channel excavation/modifications, landscaped roadway side slopes, curb inlets, storm drain outlets, and an electrical structure. The major challenge was removing and replacing the bridge along its original centerline while still providing an open 28-foot minimum roadway width. There was also extensive channel work to be performed and construction had to be scheduled around rainy season and year round flash flooding.

The team was confined to a hotel room without Internet access or cell phones for 16 hours, starting at 6:00 am in the morning and ending at 10:00 pm at night. Each team was given the project problem binder, one set of plans, and one set of specifications. The teams were required to do twelve extensive unit price estimates for the following contract items: relocation of a water line, roadway excavation, channel siltation excavation, bridge structure excavation, and backfill, import borrow materials, roadway embankment, crushed aggregate base, asphalt concrete, ARHM surfacing/overlay, structural concrete for the bridge footing, and the erection of the pre-cast concrete bridge. Then the team was required to prepare a detailed Critical Path Method schedule, evaluate supplier/subcontractor price quotes, answer 20 contract document questions, and prepare/submit the bid proposal in accordance with the specification requirements.

The problem required each team member to demonstrate skills in quantity take-off, unit cost estimating, scheduling, subcontract analysis, equipment production, crew productivity, traffic control, and contract document interpretations. The team was also required to attend a mock bid letting where they had to submit a written cost proposal along with the answers to 20 contract document questions. The next day the team was required to do a 20-minute oral presentation with the judges asking questions for an additional 20 minutes.

Granite Construction commented at the awards dinner that this was UALR's first time at the Nationals and how impressed they were that we took third place. UALR can truly be proud of the hard work and dedication of the Heavy/Civil Competition Team.

Fantastic! They should be proud of their accomplishments!

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