
Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ students plan and build outdoor steps for HOMEBASE

From left, Jim Dean, director of HOMEBASE at Western Carolina, meets at the new stairs with Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ construction management students who helped build them including Trevor Antonson, Brayden Sroka, Will Macdonald, Olivia Craig and Quinton Godfrey.
Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ construction management students planned and built a set of frame-and-gravel steps into a hillside this fall for , a campus ministry serving students who need physical, emotional or spiritual support.
The outdoor stairs replace steps that were in disrepair and provide a vital pathway that links HOMEBASE’s buildings. They also serve students who live nearby and use the path to walk to campus.
“To have a set of steps that is done and done well means a lot for safety and convenience as we go back and forth between our two buildings,â€� said Jim Dean, director of HOMEBASE at Western Carolina. “It’s been a wonderful partnership with Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ.â€�
Ten construction management students coordinated details of the construction, from reviewing whether permits were needed to estimating supply costs to coordinating student workdays.
The project was part of a service-learning designated course in the Kimmel School of Construction Management through which Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ students apply the construction management skills they are learning to projects that make a difference in the community.
“The project was really rewarding knowing what the HOMEBASE organization does to help students that I go to school with – people whom I share similar goals and outcomes with,� said Olivia Craig, a student majoring in construction management from Asheville who served as the communications interface for the group. “It’s always a fulfilling experience to contribute to something small that makes a bigger impact.�