Joseph Matis
August 6, 2007
Felma Arceneaux
August 8, 2007
The State of Louisiana, on behalf of Nicholls State University, reached a $4.5 million agreement with Acadian Agricultural Holdings LLC to purchase land for the construction of a recreation center and culinary institute.
“I am delighted by what this means for the future of Nicholls, both for the long-term and for the immediate future,” said university president Dr. Stephen Hulbert. “This land allows us the space we need to expand, develop and modernize our campus.”
Negotiations for the purchase of the land to the east of Nicholls began nearly three years ago. Last Wednesday, representatives from the state, Acadian and the university met with a mediator to hammer out the $4.5 million deal.
Hulbert said the money for the construction comes from the state fund, which is appropriated for the acquisition of land.
He has publicly expressed his appreciation to Gov. Kathleen Blanco, the commissioner of administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc, and state Rep. Warren Triche, D-Thibodaux for their unwavering support throughout the acquisition process.
As part of the transaction, Acadian donated an additional 17 acres to the already agreed upon 57 acres for a total transaction of 74 acres of land at the $4.5 million price tag.
“I deeply appreciate the generosity Jake Giardina and Ronald Adams [Acadian representatives] displayed in donating the additional parcel of land,” Hulbert said. “The university is in the midst of numerous expansion and renovation projects, and this land will help to meet the future needs of our students, faculty and staff.”
The first parcel, bordering Louisiana Highway 1 and Bowie Road, will be the future home of the John Folse Culinary Institute, which is currently housed in Gouaux Hall.
“I can’t tell you how huge this is for the culinary institute,” said Randy Cheramie, interim dean of the John Folse Culinary Institute. “For some time the institute has been at a standstill with fundraising because there was no property appropriated for the new institute.”
Cheramie said the state is assembling a capital campaign committee to work on fundraising ventures for the construction of the new institute, which is estimated to cost $21.5 million.
Currently, the culinary institute educates nearly 210 students a year. Cheramie said he is hoping to double enrollment with the new institute offering more space for the students in the program.
The new institute, a 39,000-square-foot building, will consist of six classrooms, seven specialized kitchens and a student-run restaurant.
The second parcel, bordering Bowie Road and Ardoyne Drive, is for the student recreation center and recreation fields. According to Hulbert, the center’s been in the design stage since 2003 when the student body voted to begin paying a fee of $74.25 per semester to finance the center.
A botched property deal put a three-year hiatus on the building’s process. However, students continued to pay the semester fee, and students currently enrolled at Nicholls will continue to be billed the $74.25 fee for roughly 25 years, Hulbert said.
“Without the fee in place, we would not be able to move on the project to rapidly,” said Hulbert. “The assessment yielded roughly $450,000 per semester, eventually accumulating $4.3 million as of June 30 to go toward to center, which is estimated to cost $21.3 million.”
For the people who have relocated, the fee is a standard practice used by public entities nationwide to pay for facilities that can’t be paid for by state or federal funds, Hulbert said.
The university made it clear that students, present or former, who have already paid the semester fees, would have the opportunity to use the recreation center.
The 63,000-square-foot building will consist of two full-sized basketball courts, running tracks, cardiovascular workout area, two racquetball courts, locker rooms, aerobic rooms, special youth rooms, wellness center, snack bar, weight room and classrooms.
Hulbert said the agreement allows the university to move forward with the construction of the recreation center. “I deeply regret that we couldn’t move on this sooner,” he said.
The third parcel of land, which is the donated 17 acres, will be located to the south of Ardoyne Drive. Hulbert said the 17 acres is extra land needed for more expansions.
The estimate completion of the campus reconstruction is slated anywhere from one to three years tops, Hulbert said.
In addition to the land purchase, university officials have modernized Nicholls by redesigning street signs, touching up the trashcans designs and renovating to the cafeteria, student union and bookstore.
Nicholls is also set to begin selling off the $50 million in bonds, which will fund one of its largest housing construction and renovation projects on the campus in 20 years.
According to Mike Davis, assistant vice president for administration and physical plant operations by 2008 Nicholls students will lavish in luxury of three newly constructed residential halls, an apartment complex and a convenience store, as well as two renovated dorms.
The estimated cost of the three new buildings and convenience store is $20 million.
Hulbert estimates that construction will began on the residence halls in next couple of months. Prior to this, the last constructed residential hall on Nicholls was in 1977.
With a $4.5 million agreement with Acadian Agricultural Holdings LLC, Nicholls State University announced plans to build a recreation center and culinary institute. According to university president Dr. Stephen Hulbert, past students who helped fund the facility will be allowed to use it. * Photo courtesy of DOUG KEESE / NSU
