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LCSC to hold groundbreaking ceremony for new building on March 7
2-29-08
Lewis-Clark State College will hold the groundbreaking ceremony for its new Nursing/Health Sciences Building on Friday, March 7, at 10 a.m. on the Lewiston campus.
Several state and local dignitaries will join LCSC President Dene K. Thomas and college administrators to break ground on the building site, which will be located just north of Talkington Hall and west of the library, close to the intersection of 7th Avenue and 4th Street. The event is free and open to the public.
The Nursing/Health Sciences Building will be the new home of the Nursing & Health Sciences Division and contains the labs for the Natural Sciences Division, in addition to classrooms. Occupancy will start in the 2009 Fall Semester.
Idaho Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, who spearheaded the effort for the building while serving as interim governor in 2006, will join Thomas and others with ceremonial shovels to break ground. The half-hour ceremony features a welcome from Thomas, comments from Risch, and an overview of the $16 million project by LCSC Provost Tony Fernandez.
Several groups also will be recognized for their work on the project, including legislative and government officials, the Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council, the Division of Public Works, the design/build teams and architects, the Nursing/Health Sciences Building Steering Committee, and the Nursing/Health Sciences Public Advisory Committee.
Other comments will be by LCSC Vice President for Administrative Services Chet Herbst, LCSC Nursing & Health Sciences Division Chair Lori Stinson, LCSC Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division Chair Matt Johnston, LCSC Associated Student Body President Matt Smith, Lewiston mayor Doug Havens, McAlvain Design/Build President Torry McAlvain, and ZGA Architects’ Tom Zabala.
McAlvain Construction and ZGA Architects, both of Boise, won the state bid for the project and spent the last year working with LCSC officials on the design and functions of the building.
Drawings and architect plans of the site will be on display and Talkington Hall.
Also demonstrations are scheduled at Meriwether-Lewis Hall with three life-like simulated human dummies, which can be programmed to imitate symptoms of diseases or illnesses. A small reception will follow at Talkington Hall.
The completion of the project is expected to be in the summer of 2009. The building will be fully operational by August 2009, in time for the fall semester.
The Idaho Legislature approved the funding for the new building to help offset a national and state nursing shortage. The building will allow LCSC to double the size of graduates from the Nursing Program. Funding came through last year for an increase in two full-time nursing faculty members, a lab coordinator and a half-time radiography technology position, which will help the Rad Tech program continue to grow. Funding for additional faculty and equipment to help LCSC meet the potential growth is in Gov. Butch Otter’s budget and is currently under legislative review.
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