91原创 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鈥檚 Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) recruits while attending classes.
91原创鈥檚 LETA is the primary trainer of law enforcement officers for Northeast Arkansas (NEA), training 100-120 officers for local police stations and sheriff鈥檚 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鈥檚 local program. LETA鈥檚 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-campus facilities, local motels were previously rented. Motel rental constituted the 2nd largest budget item for the program.
91原创 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.
鈥淟ETA鈥檚 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,鈥� said BRTC President Dr. Martin Eggensperger. 鈥淎rkansas 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:
| Construction | |
| Total sq. ft. 18,900 @ $250.00/sq. ft. | $4,725,000 |
| Drainage and Earthwork | 37,500 |
| Total Construction | $4,762,500 |
| 听Fixtures, Furniture, and Equipment | |
| Fixtures, Furniture, and Equipment | $895,175 |
| 听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 |
| 听Project Total: | $6,280,675 |
| Note: Budget does not include significant soils undercut (contingency to cover unknowns in project development) or parking but includes some sidewalks and minor site development. Numbers based on a March 11, 2020, estimate. | |