Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Project Abstract Project Overview Lyon College is establishing the first dental school in Arkansas by renovating 127,085 square feet across six floors of a leased building in Little Rock. This $43,137,321 project, funded by a $15,000,000 CPF/CDS grant and $28,137,321 in private funds, will create advanced learning environments to efficiently educate community-oriented dentists and improve oral health access in the state. The project is expected to be completed by June 2025. Facility Layout The first floor will house student services, admissions, a library, research space, and locker rooms. The second floor will feature two large classrooms, breakout rooms, a student lounge, and updated bathrooms. Floors 3-5 will contain patient care clinics with 36, 64, and 100 stations respectively, including custom cabinetry, labs, radiology suites, sterilization areas, and specialty care rooms. A mechanical room will support these clinical floors. The sixth floor will provide faculty/staff offices and a conference room, while the twelfth floor will serve as meeting space with offices. CPF/CDS Grant Allocation Of the $15,000,000 CPF/CDS grant, $9,574,454 will be allocated for moveable equipment, including dental chairs ($5,606,535), radiography units ($354,071), doctor stools ($393,380), track lighting for operatories ($575,476), handpieces ($1,500,300), mechanical room equipment ($822,572), 3D printers ($48,130), wet lab equipment ($42,000), N2O/O2 equipment ($108,990), and a VR haptic simulator ($123,000). All equipment will adhere to EPEAT and ENERGY STAR guidelines for sustainability. The remaining $5,425,546 of the grant will be used for pre-award design costs. Project Scope and Impact The project will not increase square footage or involve ground disturbance, focusing on strategic interior reconfigurations. A construction manager will coordinate the complex renovation. By leveraging CDS funds for a vertically integrated campus linking academic, simulation, and clinical spaces, Lyon College will set a national standard for educating dentists to expand oral health access for underserved Arkansans.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).