Four years after ceremonially breaking ground on a new track-and-field and soccer complex, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has received approval for a different company to build the long-awaited athletic facility.
During its virtual meeting Wednesday, the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees voted unanimously to allow UAPB to hire Tarkett Sports Construction of Burleson, Texas, to finally complete the facility, which will be built between the Johnny B. Johnson Housing Complex and the S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex. The total project cost for the first phase of the project is $5.5 million and includes a survey, excavation, installation of the soccer field and track, bleachers, restrooms and concessions, according to UA System documents.
The facility has been long desired for a program that has helped two athletes earn bronze medals in the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in the past two years. High jumper Caleb Snowden placed third in the 2024 finals, and Jordan Pierre took bronze in the 400-meter dash in the 2025 finals.
Over the years, however, track athletes have had to train at Pine Bluff High School, which recently completed a renovation of its track course.
The planned venue at UAPB was originally scheduled to open in September 2023. That month, however, the UA System Board authorized UAPB to finalize a contract with Little Rock-based Nabholz Construction for the first phase, and UAPB vice chancellor for finance and administration Carla Martin said neither side has come to an agreement on final pricing.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“(Athletic Director Chris) Robinson has been working diligently with Nabholz, but we have yet to get to where we need to be with this particular project,” Martin told the board. “So, it is based upon AD Robinson’s recommendation along with our procurement director that we’re coming back to you today to solicit the authorization to move forward with Tarkett Sports Construction as the contractor for Phase I of our track and soccer field.”
Robinson did not attend the board meeting.
Martin added the school has raised funds from private donors, Title III support and university reserves. UA System documents show a grant from Jefferson Country will also go toward the project, but the grant wasn’t specified.
Phase II would include the installation of lights, a scoreboard, a field house and a multipurpose center, which will house locker rooms, classrooms and equipment storage. A total cost for this phase was not listed, however.
UAPB identified Tarkett through a Procurement Cooperative Purchasing Program, in which vendors are bid and vetted at the national level, according to a UA System memo.
“We have talked about a track facility at UAPB for about 10 years. It’s about time,” UA System Board President Kelly Eichler said.
OTHER APPROVALS FOR UAPB
The UA System Board also approved AMR Architects and East Harding Construction Co. to begin the Allied Health and Sciences Building Project that will be funded by a $15 million federal grant from the Labor, Health and Human Services-Health Resources & Services Administration UAPB was awarded in 2024. The estimated time to substantial completion is 24 months.
MK Distributors is donating the DuBocage House at 1115 W. Fourth Ave. to UAPB. The donation, which the board also approved, will be used for specialized laboratories and classrooms for its Hospitality and Tourism program. The DuBocage House, built in 1866, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974, according to the UA System.
“We’ve already started planning for the upkeeping maintenance into the future, so we’re integrating that into our budgetary operation,” Chancellor Anthony Graham told the UA System Board. “So, we will be able to manage it.”
The board also allowed UAPB to accept the donation of the former Family Dollar building at 1520 S. Cherry St. from the Greenberg Development Co. The former store is valued at $360,000 with a replacement value of $490,000.
“This building is over 9,100 square feet, and it has an opportunity to help us expand some instructional, some research and some administrative services on our campus,” Martin explained.