Posted Sep 26, 2016, 12:17 AM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Tuscaloosa
Posts: 515
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Looks like old Tutwiler Hall is being replaced
Quote:
The University of Alabama System board of trustees approved preliminary plans for a $124-million replacement for Tutwiler Residential Hall, along with plans to buy a downtown building in Tuscaloosa.
The board on Friday approved the preliminary scope and a budget of $124 million for a replacement for Tutwiler Hall. The new 520,521-square-foot building would be able to house around 1,583 students.
Tutwiler Hall now houses about 1,000 students, UA President Stuart Bell said. The new building, which will be adjacent to the university’s sorority chapter houses on Paul W. Bryant Drive, will help meet demand for housing on the south side of campus.
“We have a huge demand for these rooms every year,” Bell said. “We have many more requests to be in this resident hall and this portion of campus. (The new building) will probably still not be able to meet all of the demand but it will be a great step forward.”
The building will feature double occupancy rooms with community bathrooms, lounges, study areas, seven elevators, a Julia’s Market and a multipurpose space that can serve as a storm shelter capable of protecting 1,742. The project will be funded with future revenue bonds.
The new building, scheduled to open in 2020, will be complete before Tutwiler is demolished, Bell said.
Earlier this year, the board approved plans for a parking deck, which will be located south of the new residence hall, both of which will be located at the site of the existing surface parking lot beside Tutwiler Hall.
The university is also building a new dorm near Lakeside Dining facility. The board authorized negotiation of an architectural agreement for the $42.6 million project. The top-ranked firms are Williams Blackstock Architects, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, and TurnerBatson Architects, all of Birmingham.
The board also suspended the rules to approve plans to buy a 16,200-square-foot building at 617 Greensboro Ave. from John F. Boles and John Cate Boles for $990,000 using university funds. The appraised value for the property was $1 million.
The building, which sits beside the UA-owned Ford building on Greensboro downtown, will become the UA Economic Development Resource Center, which will coordinate the university’s economic development outreach services and provide a comprehensive approach to serving businesses, governments and people, said Cheryl Mowdy, assistant vice president for financial affairs.
The center will house UA’s Economic Development Alliance, a multi-disciplinary team, primarily from the Culverhouse College of Commerce.
The building, built in 1924, will require extensive renovation before it is capable of being used by the university, according to the presentation.
Tim Leopard, associate vice president for construction, estimated renovations would cost around $4 million, and the university plans to bring a proposal to the board when it meets in November.
The renovations will be paid for with a mix of U.S. Department of Economic Development Administration grant funds and matching UA funds, Leopard said.
The university is in the process of finalizing the grant, according to Mowdy.
Under the grant, the university must complete the project in 43 months after receiving the funds, Leopard said.
When asked about the reason for purchasing the building, Mowdy said the office would allow the university to consolidate economic development staff into one office. Mowdy said the staff are currently spread across campus. The center would allow for better communication and collaboration had help expand services offered by the university, she said.
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