Ryan Sigg, director of physical plant operations at Allen Community College, spoke to the Kiwanis Club on Feb. 13 about major projects that he has overseen at the school since assuming his role in fall 2021.
Sigg, who oversees eight full-time and two part-time maintenance employees, plus a handful of student workers, said refurbishment and replacement needs at the 50-year-old Iola campus are ever present.
“There are some things that are getting outdated,” he said, noting many of the major projects he’s directed, such as parking lot pavement and boiler/chiller work, were addressed 20-plus years ago but still were due for upgrades.
In addition, the college has just finished roof work on the theater and activities buildings, has renovated floors and doors in its gymnasium, and has started a security-focused keyless entry system changeover on exterior and interior doors to all buildings on campus, including residence halls.
Those facilities —dorms like Horton Hall, which was built in 1969 with the original campus — take up much of his staff’s time and energies to ensure students have a safe, comfortable, efficient place to live. He oversees three residence halls on campus, duplex apartments and a dormitory across Cottonwood Street to the west of Allen, and other off-campus sites such as Ballard House by the old American Legion in west Iola.
Currently, the college is weighing housing needs with potential plans to construct a career and technical education building on the north edge of its property along Cottonwood.
“We want to increase enrollment with CTE,” Sigg said, “but we need places for them to live.”
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