| Renovations underway for the New Autism Program Facility, Sept. 17, 2026. Photo by Dubem Akukwe. |
| Photo and Story By Dubem Akukwe The Poke Press McNeese State University held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for a renovation project that is turning the former University Police building into a new facility for the McNeese Autism Program. The McNeese Autism Program previously operated from Farrar Hall until Hurricane Laura and Delta damaged the building. Since then, the program has operated from leased portable buildings near McNeese’s athletics complex, according to Richard Rhoden, interim director of the Office of Facilities and Plant Operations. The building being renovated, located at 4310 Ryan St. Lake Charles, once housed the McNeese Police Department, which was relocated to the former Watkins Infirmary building in 2022. Construction began around Aug. 18 and is currently expected to be completed Feb. 17, 2028. Rhoden said the $5,494,845 project is being funded through FEMA and insurance reimbursement funds. The renovation will add 3,550 square feet to the building, bringing the completed facility to 8,460 square feet. Rhoden said the building’s location was selected in part because many Autism Program clients come from off campus. He said the location allows clients to reach the facility without moving through busier areas of the university and provides greater privacy and fewer distractions. The renovated facility will include staff offices, group session spaces, individual counseling spaces, sensory spaces, intern space, feeding training space and other specialized spaces for applied behavior analysis training and treatment. The project will also include a drop-off and pickup area for clients, a playground and green space. “This new facility will support every aspect of the Autism Program’s physical needs,” Rhoden said, by providing all the necessary spaces the program requires for student training and client treatment. |
