Officials hope to finish ENMU house by Christmas

PORTALES - Supply chain issues are wreaking havoc on home renovations, and Eastern New Mexico University is no exception.

Still, university officials are hopeful a completed renovation for the University House could be quite the Christmas gift.

University Chancellor Patrice Caldwell provided a tour of the work in progress Friday to ENMU Regent Lance Pyle and members of the Sodexo food service team. The News was invited on the tour by Pyle.

The house, which the university first purchased in 1973, doesn't really look different outside and isn't much of anything inside, with hollowed-out rooms that will soon be filled with appliances and furniture.

Caldwell, who has been with ENMU since 1980 and became chancellor in April 2020, said the home had never had a renovation like this.

In years past, the university has made small changes to accommodate individual presidents. An extension was added to the south to create a master bedroom and put a utility room in, and rooms have become offices or bedrooms depending on family needs. Everett Frost had two children, Steve Gamble had his parents living with him and Jeff Elwell had a bedroom ready whenever his adult son came for a visit.

"It was a house that would be for the president," Caldwell said of the 1977 purchase. "We never dreamed of (using it for) entertaining."

With the current renovations, which removed a wall in the main area to create a large gathering place, the house will be situated so Caldwell could use a side entrance that leads to the master bedroom and go days or weeks without using two-thirds of the residence.

Most of the work on the residence is on the interior space of the property that is about 4,575 square feet - not counting a three-car garage. One of the garage spots, Caldwell said, is generally set aside for Sodexo. For the benefit of catering crews, the garage has quick access to the kitchen or the backyard area, which has been largely untouched.

"The trees were all in good shape," Caldwell told Pyle. "There was really no need to do anything."

The linchpin is a set of custom cabinets, with Vice President of Business Affairs Scott Smart saying the university is in a supply chain bind. The current vendor has not given any estimate on when the cabinets will be delivered, and the only local vendor Smart knows of is booked for the next year.

Caldwell was optimistic the cabinets would come by the end of October. Remaining work would only take a few weeks and moving in her furniture and personal items would only require a few days.

Should the cabinets come in the next few weeks, Caldwell said the university would plan some kind of event connected to city of Portales Christmas events.

Pyle has communicated his frustration with the renovation timeline in prior regent meetings, and communicated those concerns during the tour. The cabinet issue is of particular frustration because nobody can give him a calendar date.

When the house is completed, Pyle said, "It's going to be very nice and serve the university well."