Construction turnaround in Texas!
by Mary Scott Nabers
CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.
. . . continued from page one
Here are a few examples of higher education construction spending:
- Texas A&M University (TAMU) is building a $49 million Agriculture Headquarters Building and Visitor Center. The 13,000-square-foot, two-story facility is the first phase of a planned $86 million, four-building agricultural complex. Construction costs at TAMU totaled $140.4 million during 2009, an increase of $42 million over the previous year.
- Texas Woman’s University is building an eight-story facility for its nursing and allied health programs in Dallas. The project, projected to cost $55 million, is significantly under budget.
- The University of North Texas will construct a $70.1 million Business Leadership Building. The 180,000-square-foot facility will include offices, an open atrium, an Internet cafe, study space and classrooms. It is scheduled to open in July of next year. Also on UNT’s construction schedule are a $33.4 million, 87,000-square-foot Life Sciences Complex scheduled to open in June and a $78 million football stadium that will seat 30,000, scheduled for a fall 2011 opening.
- Texas A&M-Central Texas (formerly Tarleton State University-Central Texas) plans to begin construction on a new campus in the fall. The first building, which carries a $25 million price tag, should be completed in time for the fall 2012 semester. The four-story, 103,000-square-foot building will include a bookstore, a lecture hall, administrative offices, more than two-dozen classrooms, a small library, 200 parking spaces and more.
Construction by local government entities in Texas has also been rampant. Hays County officials held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to kick off construction of a three-story, 232,000-square-foot Hays County Government Center. The $65.1 million project will house most county offices.
In Williamson County, officials are looking for a site for a proposed $18 million Emergency Services Operations Center which will serve all neighboring emergency personnel and government officials. The center, expected to be completed in 2012, will include advanced communications technology, administrative offices and independent water and power.
Aside from the numerous public school district bond elections this weekend, many Texas schools are launching construction projects as a result of previous bond proceeds. The Dallas ISD’s Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, for example, is ready to begin construction of a 104,000-square-foot facility which will cost $21.5 million.
At the state level, there will be a flurry of construction activity at Texas state parks after the sale of general obligation bonds to fund more than $44 million in repairs and renovations. Park cabins, electrical and water systems, bathrooms and other infrastructure will be overhauled or replaced. Cleburne State Park is getting a new two-dorm group barracks. A store and bathhouse also will be added this summer from the park’s $2.84 million in repair and renovation funding. Nearly 20 cabins at Garner State Park will be completely refurbished in a project expected to take two years. The park was allocated nearly $4 million for upgrades.
Construction firms should find the public sector marketplace in Texas extremely attractive!
